It's the Real Thing
by Gindokei
Summary: Troy's a successful basketball player, Gabriella's struggling to make it as a writer. How did they ever meet? Their parents decided to throw them into an arranged marriage... with each other! TxG Epilogue up!
1. Trailer

**AN: Hey guys! This was an idea I got for a Troyella story, so I'm putting up a trailer. Don't kill me please; this is my first trailer, so it'll probably be not-so-good.**

**I'm not too sure about this story so please tell me if you think I should continue it or not.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM. –sad sigh-  
**

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**Bold – Narrator**

Normal – Dialogue

_Italics – Actions_

**Ordinarily, they would have never met **

**He was a successful basketball player…**

_Shows Troy dribbling the ball down a court while the crowd cheers_

**She was a struggling writer…**

_Shows Gabriella blinking sleepily as she types away at a computer in a small, dim apartment_

**But fate intervened... in the form of four parents who were best friends**

_ Shows Troy's parents and Gabriella's parents discussing something excitedly_

"Troy's twenty-five, it's about time he got married."

"Gabriella's twenty-three! And she refuses to even date anyone."

"You know, they'd make the perfect couple…"

**Now, they've both been thrown into an arranged marriage**

_Shows Gabriella arguing with her mother_

"Mom, you can't do this to me!"

_Shows Troy throwing his arms in the air in frustration_

"Dad, whoa, no. I can't get married! Much less to a girl I've never seen before!"

**Will the gap between them be too large?**

_Shows Gabriella scowling at Troy, waving papers in his face_

"Writing's different than basketball! You actually need brains for it!"

**Or can they make their marriage work?**

_Shows Troy stroking Gabriella's hair and whispering tenderly in her ear_

"I'm always here for you. I love you."

**Can they learn to love each other?**

_Shows Troy and Gabriella smiling at each other_**  
**

"I never thought this would actually work, but…"

**Or will it all be too much for them?**

_Shows Gabriella with tears down her cheeks_

"I thought we had something special! I thought you understood me!"

"Well, you thought wrong, didn't you?"

**Starring **

**Zac Efron…**

_Shows Troy stretched out on his bed, snoring_

**Vanessa Hudgens…**

_Shows Gabriella fiddling with a ring on her finger_

**Corbin Bleu…**

_Shows Chad bouncing a basketball and then shooting_

**Monique Coleman…**

_Shows Taylor sitting at a desk, reading a manuscript while chewing on the end of a pencil_

**Ashley Tisdale…**

_Shows Sharpay patting Gabriella on the back, hugging her gently_

**And Lucas Grabeel…**

_Shows Ryan talking to Troy, tapping a folder in front of him_

**It's the Real Thing… **

**Coming to Fanfiction soon**

(hopefully!)

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**AN: So that's what it is! I thought it'd be funny if Troy and Gabby were forced into marriage and then fell in love :) Tell me what you think!**


	2. Fighting for a Name

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: So I got a few people asking me to continue! I warn you, though, I'm not too good at longer stories… okay okay I'll stop and get on with the story…**

**Disclaimer: Um. Can we not go through this? It makes me sad…  
**

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CHAPTER ONE: Fighting for a Name

The glowing computer screen was permanently etched in her mind. She sat back wearily, skimming over the words she had just written, barely taking them in. It was six in the morning and she had been up since six the previous day, furiously typing away at the computer. She groaned softly as she re-read her words – what had sounded so smooth earlier now sounded jerky, like it had been thrown together pell-mell.

"Maybe writing fantasy isn't the best idea…" she mumbled, rubbing her deep brown eyes. They were now swollen and red as a result of being up for twenty-four hours. She knew other people dealt with lack of sleep easily, but she was the type of person who needed a solid eight hours of sleep every day, or she'd fall apart.

Her long brown curls were tied back in a messy bun. She winced as she tried to untangle a few strands of hair, knowing it would be a pain to brush it out later. But for now, her bed beckoned. She saved the document and switched off the computer with an air of relief, getting up from the chair she had sat in for the past nine or so hours.

A yelp escaped her as pain shot through her body, and she quickly flung herself onto her bed, which was luckily nearby. Having sat in a cramped, hunched position through the night, the ache was showing now. She writhed on the bed for a few minutes before the fierce lashes of pain subsided.

Her eyes closed almost immediately, and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep. The pillow was clutched to her chest and she drooled ever so slightly on it as she sank deeper and deeper into slumber. Her body was oddly twisted when she awoke four hours later at ten, squinting at the bright sunlight flooding her small apartment.

She had felt so proud of it when she had first bought it – a small one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom outfitted with sinks that actually worked. Not easy to find in Manhattan, and at an affordable price too. She stretched to loosen her tense muscles and gazed blearily out at the New York cityscape.

A shrill ringing caused her to cover her ears with the pillow in hand, moaning. But she threw the pillow away almost instantaneously, making a face and rubbing some saliva off one ear. She scrambled over to her cell phone, lying on the computer table, on all fours and retrieved it swiftly, pressing the "Accept Call" button.

"H'llo?" she mumbled groggily into the phone, rubbing sleep out of her eyes and trying to wake up further. A laugh sounded from the other end.

"Sleepyhead Ella! Did I wake you?" The affectionate voice of her mother flooded her ears. The girl sat up and yawned.

"Huh? No, of course not Mom," she replied, her voice no longer slurred by sleep. "Though how you get up so early is a mystery to me, really." She glanced at the clock – it must have been only seven in Albuquerque. Sienna Montez let out another laugh.

"You certainly didn't get your laziness from me, young woman," she chuckled. "Were you up all night?" Her voice suddenly sounded stern.

Gabriella Montez winced slightly. "Uh, no, of course not, Mom!" she lied. "Just enjoying a sleep-in on Saturday, you know?" She rolled her head slightly to ease out the cramps in her neck. "So, um, how are you and Dad?"

"We're doing just fine, honey," was the cheerful reply. "We've been missing you, though. Just last night I was saying to him, I said, 'Dominic, don't you think we let her go too quickly?'"

Gabriella rolled her eyes this time. Overprotective, that was her mother. Sometimes she wondered if it was because she was an only child – would her mother have been as protective if there had been other children? But she always shrugged it off – like now.

"I know, I know Mom," she replied, amusement clear in her voice. "Listen, I'm gonna go shower and get ready. I love you."

"Love you too sweetie," responded her mother, hanging up. The girl got to her feet and stretched one last time before heading towards the bathroom, pausing only to extricate a towel and clothes from her closet.

Gabriella was twenty-three and had always cherished hopes of being an author. She had loved to write since the age of nine or ten, although back then her compositions were more along the lines of "The Fairy Godmother and the Three Cupcakes" or "The Frog who Sang". She laughed at the memories, smiling tenderly at the thought of a young Gabriella Montez eagerly showing her parents her latest work.

It had always been fantasy, of course. She had tried her hand at any other type of fiction, or even at historical fiction – but there was never any feeling in those writings. She loved to explore the battle of good versus evil deeply, bringing in fantastical creatures like phoenixes and dragons and unicorns into her pieces.

She was trying her hand at a novel this time – about a girl who sees mystical creatures in real life and thinks she is hallucinating. It had been going along well, about two chapters into the story, before she read it all over critically, decided she liked nothing and deleted it all. That was Gabriella, a perfectionist when it came to writing.

She donned a light blue long-sleeved shirt and dark jeans, slipping her feet into a well-used pair of white sneakers. There was still a nip in the air, so she put on a warm woolen sweater of off-white. It was, after all, the middle of February.

For three years Gabriella had been trying to make a name for herself in the literary world. No luck. All magazines refused her works – not always because they were bad, she told herself, but because they didn't want to finance an unknown writer. But in her glum days she was sure she was a horrible writer and could never publish anything, and it was pointless to try.

Her friend Sharpay Evans, however, helped a lot. Sharpay had gone to high school with her in Albuquerque, and they got together every afternoon to chat and drink coffee. Gabriella's "day job", or the job she would keep until she made it as a writer, was at a bank. She had always been good with math and numbers, and so felt it was a good temporary job. Sharpay worked at a clothing store a few buildings over, and so they met up for lunch and break times.

A small TV sat in one corner of the apartment. Gabriella turned it on to check if anything interesting was on before heading out to meet Sharpay. To her surprise, she had last switched it off on a sports channel. She raised one eyebrow, watching young men dashing around in sweaty clothes for a while before growing bored and turning it back off. Sports, especially basketball, which had been showing, had never been her strong point.

As for young men, her mother urged her every week to at least _try_ a single date. But Gabriella simply wasn't interested. The world had so many other things in store for her other than romance. It was fun to write loving scenes in her stories – but to actually date someone? Not a chance. She told her mother so every single time. She wasn't going to try romance for a long time. Perhaps she never would.

Pulling her sweater more tightly around her body, she opened the door and hurried out, only stopping to lock up her apartment once more.

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**AN: So that's the first chapter! Just a little information about Gabriella… the next one will be about Troy. By the way, I'm not quite sure about any good basketball teams, so could someone help me out? If not, I'll just invent a name, I guess.**


	3. Basketball Boy

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Heyy, it's me again :D I'm updating this story as much as I can, when I can, because I've suddenly got a flow of ideas… hrmm… anyways, I still don't know any basketball teams, so I'm just gonna make one up for this chapter**

**Disclaimer: Oh yeah, of course I have High School Musical! -waves DVD in your face- Okay kidding, kidding, of course I ****don't**** own it  
**

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CHAPTER TWO: Basketball Boy

The cheers of the crowd made his head throb painfully. He shouldn't have come to play this game, not with a headache like a cow sitting on his head. He slipped on the plain gray jersey and jogged outside to the playing court, shivering slightly – winters in New Mexico were still cold, he noted with a slight laugh.

Although it was refreshing, he mused, to not be playing a completely aggressive, competitive team. This game was for charity, taking place in his very own hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. All funds went to the local hospital where they helped to buy medication for the children lodged there.

Painful memories filled his head, and he shook them away brusquely. He combed his fingers through his dark blond hair a couple of times and bounced in place, clapping his hands to summon his "team" to him.

It was a motley mix of mostly teenagers from the high school nearby, although it included a few older players. He caught a glimpse of familiar bushy hair and grinned to himself, raising his voice so he could be heard above the noise. "All right! Are you ready, Stags?" he yelled, trying to make eye contact with every member of the team and failing. "Can we win this?" he called again, trying to whip up some excitement in them.

A dull "yes" echoed through the assembled team-members. He sighed irritably, his intense blue eyes flickering with an almost dangerous light. "All right. We've got ten minutes, so I'd like you all to tell me _why_ exactly did you volunteer for this event if you're obviously not interested in playing basketball?"

A dark-skinned boy with a crazy afro spoke up. "Hey Troy, didn't think you'd be talking about your old buddy like that!" He sounded indignant, but Troy could see a spark of amusement in his brown eyes. He let out a soft laugh and held out his hand to his old friend.

"Chad, haven't seen you in what… two hours?" he chuckled. "Dude, we're on the same national team, I totally know you're raring to go for this game. But I'm not sure about the others." He swept his eyes over the high school students, his voice losing its warmth and becoming stern and cold.

The kids shuffled their feet, having the grace to bow their heads and look embarrassed. "They needed people, so we gave in our names," said one boy, raising his eyes to meet Troy's gaze. "That's it."

Troy felt aggravated. They had given a team of complete amateurs, barring Chad? He raised his voice again, this time in anger. "So what, you don't even know how to _play_?"

Another boy looked offended. "Course we know how to play, you take the ball and put it in the basket!" he explained, rolling his eyes. Troy groaned and passed a hand over his forehead.

"All right, look. You just… do what you can, okay? Yeah, get the ball in the _other_ basket, across the court, not in this one, okay?" He pointed to the nearby hoop. "The other one." He now gestured to the hoop on the other side of the playing court. "And that's that, I guess."

The whistle shrilled out to signal the beginning of the game.

Afterwards, Troy would laugh about it with his buddies. But at the time, he was simply speechless with shock. Neither of the teams had any idea how to play. At all. They carried the ball all the way across the court, didn't dribble it, had no idea how to elevate the ball to get it into the basket…

He and Chad stood near the crowd, just watching in stunned silence. Rage bubbled up in Troy's stomach. Had this all been a joke? And he and Chad had merely been invited to play to make the game seem like something big – two national basketball stars competing with a bunch of high school kids who didn't even know how to play.

In the end, the game was tied – 0-0. Neither of the teams had actually scored a legal basket, and the audience had fallen about laughing. Troy clenched his hands into fists, but felt Chad's hand on his shoulder, restraining him.

"Don't," his friend said softly. "It's not worth it."

Troy felt like screaming in frustration. Innocent children's lives were at stake here! Their death was not a joke, couldn't anyone see that? He took out his fury by pounding his balled-up fists into a nearby chair, grinding his teeth.

Chad looked at him worriedly. "Look… I know how you feel about this, after Hailey and all…" he said softly. Troy whirled on his friend, eyes clouded with grief and anger.

"This isn't just about Hailey!" he bellowed, chest heaving. "This is… that…" He couldn't string words together – just the thought of his younger sister made his mind go blank and rendered his tongue useless. Tears of helplessness leaked out from the corners of his eyes.

"Just… never mind," he muttered, flicking away the tears quickly. "Let's go, shall we?" He shoved his hands deep in his pockets and nodded to his friend, blue eyes dark with thought. Chad shrugged slightly and trailed after Troy, watching him carefully for any signs of sadness and/or anger.

The local media flocked around the two, shoving microphones in their face and asking pointless questions. Troy tuned them all out, gave a brief smile to a few and continued on. Chad was less patient and scowled at some of them, making a "shoo-ing" gesture. After a while they got the hint and trickled away.

Well, that was the life of a sportsperson. Always required to talk to reporters, dismiss silly rumours for what they were _and_ play well. A soft chuckle escaped the blond man at the thought. Gee, they didn't expect much, did they?

But the worst part was the romance rumours. Many of them cropped up – people simply refused to believe that a "champion basketball player" such as himself was still single at twenty-five. At least three times a week there was a whisper that he had been seen with this girl or that celebrity, and the media would have a field day. Grinning ruefully at the thought, he waved goodbye to Chad and entered his parents' house.

He had missed being back in Albuquerque – he had almost forgotten how peaceful and quiet it was. Yawning, he called a greeting to his father dozing in front of the television, but he was too deeply asleep. Troy trudged up the stairs into his bedroom, flopping down on the bed and covering his eyes.

Even his parents wouldn't leave him alone about the girls. They insisted he see daughters or nieces of their close friends, and he was sick of it. The last girl had nearly torn his shirt off to have a token of the time she spent with him – which was approximately three minutes, after which he beat a hasty retreat and yelled at his parents for an hour straight.

Why couldn't they understand that he didn't _need_ a girlfriend? He was at the top of his game, and he loved it. He didn't need some clingy airhead to make his world perfect. It already was perfect. He dropped his arms to his sides and stared at the ceiling, smiling.

He had everything he'd ever wanted. A job that let him do what he loved, friends to share it with, parents who supported him. He didn't need a girl who only loved him for his appearance or position. With that thought, he rolled on one side and promptly fell asleep with the cool February evening blanketing the neighbourhood in serenity.

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**AN: Yay, second chapter! I seriously love all your reviews, thank you so much for supporting me! I feel loved :) Anyways, I've been updating regularly because come the 25****th****, I won't be updating for about ten days or so… so I'll see how many times I can come on to type before then.**

**Personally I didn't like this chapter much… but this is a bit about Troy. Anyone interested in what Chad said about Hailey… will have to keep reading ;) The next chapter is about Troy and Gabby's parents meeting up and plotting. Hope you enjoy!**


	4. Why Don't We?

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: All righties, here's chapter three :) Plotting and secrecy, mwahaha! Sounds like some weird thriller movie… okay, I'm done rambling… promise…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical… nothing funny here people… **

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CHAPTER THREE: Why Don't We…?

While Troy was snoring away on his bed, his mother was waking his father up. Jack Bolton opened one bleary eye, saw his wife, and immediately closed it again. Lily Bolton sighed and prodded him in the shoulder. "Jack, I know you're awake, get up! We're going to meet the Montez's," she spoke. Jack feigned sleepiness as he stretched and blinked rapidly.

"Oh, right! I knew that," he lied. Lily let out a laugh as she surveyed his crumpled clothes and messy dark blond hair.

"Oh honestly, you act like a five-year-old sometimes," she said affectionately, pulling him up from the comfortable couch. "Now _please_ go get changed."

He grinned ruefully and shuffled off to his bathroom to change as his wife waited impatiently at the bottom of the stairs. "Ja-aack, you take more time in the bathroom than a woman does!" she called, tapping her foot impatiently. Her red-brown hair fluttered as she shook her head. "That man and bathrooms…" she muttered, preparing to make her way upstairs to drag him out.

The extreme measure wasn't needed, however, as Jack appeared two minutes later with washed hair and fresh clothes. His wife smiled approvingly.

"At least you made use of your time in the bathroom," she laughed, placing the note she had written for Troy on the kitchen table. Jack scurried around, trying to locate his shoes.

"I'm _sure_ Troy must have… aha!" he cried in delight, unearthing his dress shoes from the depths of the hall closet. Lily crossed her arms, standing by the door. Jack slipped into his shoes and looked momentarily disoriented. "The car keys…?"

"We'll walk," interrupted Lily, opening the door. "They're just a few houses down as it is. And it'll do _you_ good," she added playfully, exiting the house. Jack looked put out.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he huffed, locking the door behind him. Lily rolled her eyes and ignored him, setting out for their old friends' house.

"I'm _so_ glad they invited us over," she declared happily. "I haven't seen Sienna in absolute _ages_…"

"You saw her last week!" muttered Jack in disbelief. Lily shot him an icy look, and he wisely held back his words.

They paused in front of one of the white houses. Lily rang the doorbell and waited with a smile on her face, while Jack attempted to hide behind her – he knew what the women's greeting would be like. Sure enough, Sienna Montez opened the door and let out a delighted scream. Both women fell into each other's arms like schoolgirls.

"Sienna, it's been so long!"

"Oh Lily, you are looking absolutely _fantastic_! Come in, come in! Hello Jack!" Jack Bolton smiled slightly and nodded in reply.

Dominic Montez appeared behind his wife, looking slightly uncomfortable at her behaviour. He met Jack's eyes and chuckled softly. "Ahh, Jack, how are you? Still a basketball fanatic?"

"Always," grinned Jack, stepping into the house after Lily. "I seem to remember I managed to get you hooked too, still keeping track of the game?"

Dominic threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "Why don't we follow Sienna and Lily into the living room?"

The four friends settled down on the comfortable armchairs, the women chatting away animatedly and the men deep in conversation about some basketball game. Evening darkened to night as they laughed and argued together.

Invariably, the talk turned to children. The Montez's gushed about Troy, whom they saw quite often on the TV due to Dominic Montez's basketball obsession. Lily and Jack smiled proudly and politely inquired about their own daughter. This set Sienna off in a long talk about how Gabriella merely refused to come home from Manhattan, and her being without all alone in her apartment…

"Wait," interrupted Jack with an excited gleam in his eye, "she's alone? Your daughter, I mean… she's single? How old is she?"

Sienna stopped, slightly irritated with Jack, but answered his question with good grace – "Gabriella's twenty-three and refuses to even _date_ anyone. That girl has something against the opposite sex…" she replied.

Lily had caught on to Jack's idea and couldn't suppress a beam. "Oh, I know, I know! Troy's twenty-five, it's about time he got married…"

Dominic Montez looked at them all with a quizzical expression, but Sienna had caught the hint. She pressed her hands together in delight. "Oh my, what a good idea!" she exclaimed happily.

Dominic scratched his head. "Am I missing something here?" he asked, rather unhappily. The other three laughed and looked at him. He blinked in confusion. "Well? Will someone enlighten me?"

Jack explained. "Your daughter's single. My son is single. They _both_ need to get married soon. Why don't we…?"

Dominic's eyes brightened in understanding. "I approve!" he affirmed, nodding his head. "Gabriella needs someone, and Troy would be perfect for her!"

Lily's face flushed slightly in enthusiasm. "You know, they'd make the perfect couple…" she said dreamily. Her husband gently waved his hand in front of her face.

"Lily? Come back to us," he joked, sitting back to sink deeper into the comfort of the armchair. "Personally I feel it's a great idea myself - " "Because you came up with it," murmured Lily, eyeing him mischievously, " – so why don't we _do_ it instead of discussing how great it is? You say your daughter lives in Manhattan?"

"Oh yes," nodded Sienna Montez. "But she's coming home in about a week, I think… no, wait, two weeks, end of February."

Lily stifled a shrill squeal, clapping her hands like a four-year-old. "That's wonderful! Because Troy's visiting us until about that time too!" she exclaimed.

Dominic grinned widely. "We can have them meet up a couple of times, have Troy buy the ring, and get them engaged before they leave to go back to their respective cities… where does Troy live?" he asked curiously, really getting into the plan.

Jack replied with a smile. "Bronx!"

Dominic laughed quietly.

"Everything's just going our way, isn't it?" he said. "So then we can plan out their wedding by, say, end July? We can fly over there for it, and then they can settle down in Manhattan or the Bronx or wherever!"

The other three nodded, their eyes shining with glee. Sienna sighed contentedly. "I was starting to think I'd never find someone for Ella," she admitted. "But it's so nice to know that she'll marry a kid that I know so well!" She beamed.

Lily frowned slightly. "You know… what if they don't like each other?" she said slowly. Dominic brushed the question aside with a wave of his hand.

"Nonsense. They'll love each other… if only for us," he added, grinning. "But they'll get along fine, don't you worry Lily." He patted her hand. Jack agreed.

"Yeah, don't fret Lily. I'm positive they'll love each other."

Lily glanced at the clock on the wall and let out a startled gasp. "Oh Sienna, Dominic, we should be going… it's already eleven…" she said, getting up. "All that needs to be done is to convince Troy to stay a little longer, so he and Gabriella can meet up a few more times… that shouldn't be too hard."

Jack nodded, getting to his feet as well. "Pleasure seeing you, as always," he spoke, smiling at his friends. The Montez's smiled back, all four of them caught up in their plans of getting their children married.

Sienna interpreted their feelings in one sentence, filled with relish. "Oh, this is going to be _so_ much fun!"

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**AN: Well there you go! Evil parents plotting behind their children's backs :P If it seems confusing, I'll try to explain a bit – why would Troy and Gabriella marry people they've never seen? Couldn't they just refuse?**

**The answer is a bit complicated. Basically arranged marriages were pretty common a few generations back, and if you didn't agree to them, your family name was dishonoured and your parents disowned you. Nothing so drastic would happen here, but Troy's and Gabby's parents would probably stop talking to them and in a way "disown" them by ignoring their calls or whatever, and not letting them into the house and such. Yeahh, and you thought your parents were a pain? ;)**


	5. Arugments

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I read all your reviews and found that quite a few people dislike the parents… well, think about it this way – if it wasn't for them in this story, Troyella would've never met, hmmm :P Anyways I'm speeding this story up a bit cause I don't want it to be too long, so this chapter is two weeks later, when Gabriella and Troy first see each other. No, it's not the date itself, that'll be next chapter… mayyybee… heehee.**

**Just a note: the parents were only called by their first names in the last chapter because it was centered around them. From now onwards, they'll be referred to as Mr/Mrs Bolton or Montez, unless a friend or spouse is talking to them.**

**Disclaimer: High School Musical? Nahh, I just own this totally adorable stuffed Simba toy...  
**

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CHAPTER FOUR: Arguments

The ringing of a cell phone in her ear was déjà vu to Gabriella. She rolled over and stared at the offending object with unfocused eyes, still managing to glare at it. Stupid phone. She reached for it, only to have it stop ringing. A groan escaped her as she sat up in the four-poster bed and stretched.

She glanced out of the window and was startled to see trees outside. For a minute she panicked, wondering if she had been kidnapped or transported into an alternate universe. Then she relaxed, remembering that she was in Albuquerque, New Mexico now.

"You've been reading too many of your own stories," she scolded herself lightly, hopping out of bed. She was now wide awake, and when she took a look at her cell phone, the missed call read _Mom_. Grinning slightly to herself, she snatched up her phone and padded downstairs, still clad in her fleecy pajamas.

Her mother greeted her at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey Ella," she smiled, noting the phone clutched in her hand and chuckling slightly. "Sorry, I accidentally hit the wrong number…" she apologized, hoping Gabriella would not ask exactly _who_ she had wanted to call instead. When no question came from the girl, her mother took her hand and dragged her to the kitchen.

Her father sat at the table, dressed in a crisp gray suit and eating eggs and toast. He smiled at his daughter and winked at his wife. Gabriella blinked, suddenly suspicious of the wink.

"What was that about?" she demanded. Mr. And Mrs. Montez feigned ignorance.

"What was what about, dear?" Mrs. Montez said brightly. Gabriella frowned at her, sighing and deciding not to pursue the subject.

"Never mind," she grumbled, seating herself on the kitchen counter and swinging her legs energetically, almost like a young child. Her parents laughed at the sight.

"Ella, sweetie, please get down before you break my counter," Mrs. Montez spoke up. "Dominic, I think you should be heading to work?" Mr. Montez nodded and got up from the table, wiping his mouth one last time with a napkin. He kissed his wife on the cheek and gave his daughter a hug, departing with a leather briefcase clasped in his hands.

Mrs. Montez cleared up after her husband and looked fondly at her daughter. "Ella, sweetheart, you should probably go get ready," she said. Gabriella cocked her head.

"Why?" she asked, still swinging her legs as she leaned back on the counter. Mrs. Montez clucked worriedly.

"Get down from there!" she snapped, pointing at the tiled floor. Gabriella hurriedly slid off, rubbing one leg against the other.

"Sorry," she said ruefully. Mrs. Montez smiled and shook her head.

"It's all right. But, to answer your question… we're going out for lunch." Mrs. Montez beamed brightly. Gabriella arched an eyebrow at her mother's expression but grinned.

"All right, all right…" she ambled towards the stairs. "What time is it?"

Mrs. Montez glanced at the clock. "Eight-thirty," she reported. Gabriella shrugged and paused at the bottom step, turning to look at her mother.

"What time are we going for lunch?"

"One," replied her mother promptly. Gabriella's eyebrow went up even further.

"Ahhh… dare I ask if anyone else will join us?" she inquired, smirking slightly. Her mother put her hands on her hips, glaring playfully at her daughter.

"In fact, _yes_, we'll be joined by my friend Lily Bolton and her _son_ Troy," putting emphasis on the word "son". Gabriella's face immediately clouded over.

"Forget it then, I'm not going," she said stonily, making her way up the stairs. Mrs. Montez sighed irritably and reached for her hand, holding her back.

"Oh Gabriella, _please_," she pleaded. "He's a really nice boy, a basketball star, he lives in the Bronx…" Gabriella snatched her hand out of her mother's, her eyes cold.

"Mom, you can't do this to me! I don't want to date this Troy guy!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms. Mrs. Montez attempted a winning smile.

"Just try it? For me?" she beseeched. Gabriella squirmed uncomfortably – she hated to see her mother upset.

"Ohhh, _fine_," she muttered. "I'll do it for you." And she proceeded upstairs to change.

* * *

Troy was up at seven, having slept since six the previous evening. He tramped down the stairs to come face-to-face with his father. Mr. Bolton smiled at his son. 

"Up early, are we? Good, good," he spoke, moving to the side so that Troy could step off the final stair. "I was actually coming to wake you, I don't think you need so much sleep," he explained in a mock-serious voice. Troy let out a short laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Real funny, Dad," he said sarcastically. Mr. Bolton chuckled softly.

"Well, I was coming to wake you for a different reason… I need to have a talk with you, and I have to go soon." Mr. Bolton had worked as the basketball coach for the local high school for years, and showed no signs of retiring anytime soon. Troy tilted his head and nodded slightly.

"Okay. So shoot," he replied, sauntering over to the living room and throwing himself onto the couch. His father stood at the entrance of the room, slightly nervous. Perhaps this hadn't been the best idea after all… But he took a deep breath and began.

"To start off with, you're going for lunch with your mother," he said. Troy nodded again. "With her friend Sienna Montez and her daughter." Troy's eyes became a dark, intense blue.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked in a dangerously soft voice. His father fought the urge to flinch – this was _his__son_ he was talking to, for goodness' sake. Mr. Bolton clenched his hands slightly and relaxed them.

"Maybe it is," he replied coolly. Troy got up from the couch, his face inscrutable.

"No. I'm _not_ going to be hooked up with some pathetic excuse for a girl who'll just fall all over me!" His voice rose with every word. His father's expression, on the other hand, was downright furious.

"You will do what your mother and I tell you to do, Troy! This girl will be good for you. We know her, she's a sweet hardworking girl, and she'll bring out the best in you." Troy stared at his father in disbelief.

"You make it sound like we're going to get married…" he muttered. His father's eyes gleamed with smugness. Troy shook his head in shock and threw up his hands.

"Dad, whoa, no. I can't get married! Much less to a girl I've never seen before!" he yelled.

His father inspected his fingernails calmly. "You will ask to take her out tonight," he said softly. "You will take her out a few more times, two or three more should work. Your mother and I will buy you the ring. She lives in Manhattan. The wedding will be around July."

Troy merely goggled at the man in front of him, his blood pounding. Had he just heard correctly? His parents had arranged for him to get married to some daughter of their friends'? This was not happening. Troy shook his head again.

"Be ready by one," said his father smoothly, turning and heading towards the door.

* * *

Gabriella had showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved pink shirt with a black jacket over it. Her mother shook her head in despair. 

"Ella, Ella, Ella… you can't go to lunch with _jeans_ on," she exclaimed. Gabriella looked mulishly at her mother.

"Why not?" she asked, her hands in her pockets. Her mother groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"Well, come on then," she said helplessly, taking the car keys and walking outside. Her daughter trailed after her, a book tucked under her arm and a pencil and writing pad held in her hands. Mrs. Montez locked the house and opened the car door, gesturing for Gabriella to sit first. The girl fastened her seatbelt and gazed out of the window, still upset at her mother for trying to plan a date for her. Mrs. Montez drove through the town to stop before a small coffee shop, parking the car and getting out.

Only when she was halfway to the coffee shop did she realize that Gabriella was not with her. She turned and stared across the parking lot, catching her daughter's eye. Gabriella made a face and got out, locking the door and trotting over. Her mother said nothing but gave her a frosty glance, which Gabriella successfully imitated.

Her mother peered around the shop and spotted two figures sitting by the window. Mrs. Montez practically flew over to hug Mrs. Bolton, while Gabriella slowly followed. She cast a glance at the boy sitting next to his mother, obviously uncomfortable, and decided to ignore him. She seated herself and opened her book, immersing herself in fantastical battles and mythical lands.

Troy stared at the girl sitting across from him, reading her book. Admittedly she wasn't bad looking, but what surprised him even more was that she hadn't squealed or anything when she had seen him. He laughed softly, scolding himself. "People have better things to do than squeal at you," he told himself.

Seeing both mothers' gazes on him, he cleared his throat slightly. "Um. Hi. I'm Troy."

Gabriella looked up, irritated at being interrupted, and straight into a pair of forget-me-not blue eyes. She drew in a breath sharply, unaware of Mrs. Bolton and her mother watching her with amusement. She closed her book and nodded slightly. "I'm Gabriella. Nice to meet you, Troy."

Both mothers barely suppressed their excitement. The lunch passed by pleasantly enough, with all four of them chatting lightly with each other. Gabriella and Troy, however, stayed silent for most of the time and only replied to questions directed at them by the mothers.

Gabriella twiddled her thumbs as she thought about Troy. _He seems like a nice enough guy… one or two dates can't hurt, I guess,_ she told herself silently.

Troy was, at the same time, thinking of her. _She's okay… but… I can't _marry_ her!_ Sighing softly, he once again noticed his mother staring at him pointedly. Remembering his father's words, he cleared his throat again. Gabriella looked up from her hands.

"Um. Gabriella… would you like to, um, go out for dinner?"

Gabriella's eyebrows went up. "Err, sure…" was her awkward reply. She noticed that he hadn't been too sure as he asked her, and wondered briefly if his parents too had used emotional blackmail to get him in this position. She managed to force a small smile on her face.

Troy appeared relieved. "Great. Um, eight tonight?" She nodded and returned to fiddling with her fingers

* * *

**AN: So Gabby and Troy are pretty awkward with each other! And only Troy knows that he has to end up marrying her, ha ha. Yes, so the next chapter will be the first date. I'm actually starting to hate their parents too, even though I'm the one who's made them like this… lame, huh? Anyways, a slightly longer chapter this time, hope you enjoy!**


	6. Nicknames and Laughter

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Sooo, I'm back! And this is a particularly happy chapter for me to write – the date, hurray :)**

**Disclaimer: When I own HSM, I'll call you and invite you for a party. Happy? **

* * *

CHAPTER FIVE: Nicknames and Laughter

Maybe this one date won't be so bad thought Gabriella silently as she surveyed herself in the mirror. Troy hadn't specified exactly _where_ they were going for dinner, and she had been all set to wear another turtleneck and jeans. But Mrs. Montez intervened and insisted Gabriella dress up a bit more.

I don't look terrible, the girl decided. Gabriella was dressed in a long sleeved teal shirt, made of something that resembled satin, from the way it shone under the lights of her bedroom. Silver ribbon work adorned the waist and ends of the sleeves. Teamed up with the shirt was a pair of black jeans. Her mother had been horrified at the sight and had tried to get Gabriella into a skirt, but the girl refused point-blank. She had to draw the line somewhere!

However, she had relented slightly when it came to footwear and donned silver slippers with a slight heel, decorated with tiny sequins. Satisfied with her appearance, she trotted down the stairs as the doorbell rang.

Troy was greeted by a beaming Mrs. Montez, whose first words were "My, don't you look handsome, Troy! Gabriella should be down soon." As the words left her mouth, the aforementioned girl descended the staircase. Troy blinked in surprise, suddenly feeling inadequately dressed. He wore a black button down shirt and faded jeans. His blue eyes betrayed his nervousness.

"Haven't done this many times before, have you?" Gabriella commented, coming to stand in front of him. She tilted her head up to look at his face and smiled. "So, you're a jeans guy too, hmm? Something we have in common."

Troy grew flustered. "Um, yeah… err, shall we go?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation to a different subject. He caught a glimpse of Mrs. Montez staring frostily at her daughter's teasing and couldn't help but grin.

"Sure." Gabriella waved at her mother and brushed by Troy to get outside. She had walked halfway down the path leading to the gate when she realized Troy wasn't with her. Turning, she saw him still at the door, being questioned closely by Mrs. Montez. Gabriella placed her hands on her hips and laughed softly. "Mom, give him a break. And Troy, are you coming, or can I steal your car and watch you run after it?" she called.

Troy looked relieved as he turned as well. He smirked at her words. "Not my car, it's Dad's… you're welcome to steal it, really, it goes slower than a snail," he replied cheerfully, walking down the path to meet her. She laughed appreciatively at his reply and turned back, walking towards the gate. Troy watched her for a moment, his father's words echoing in his head. Did Gabriella know she was going to end up marrying him? Had _her_ parents set her up for this as well? Shaking the thoughts away, he ran to catch up with her.

Deciding that they needed a good, long conversation to carry them through the car journey, he spoke as he opened her door. "So, you know I'm Troy, and I know you're Gabriella. Can I call you Gabby?"

She paused as she thought over the question. "Nicknames already, Mr. Bolton? And we just met," she laughed teasingly. Troy, to his horror, felt himself growing uncomfortably warm. Why had he asked the question in such an offhand manner? Thank goodness she couldn't see him blushing.

"Well, it's not my fault that you have a long," stretching out the 'o' in 'long', "name and I have a short one," he retorted as he went around the car to take his seat behind the wheel. "I mean, Gabriella… I'd fall asleep saying that name all the time, it's humungous," he laughed. Gabriella grinned ruefully.

"Point taken, my parents call me Ella as it is… all right, Gabby, then."

The car roared to life, but the sound soon dimmed to a drone. Gabriella asked the next question. "So, um, what's your favourite color?" She mentally kicked herself – what a stupid, childish question. She almost missed Troy's reply while scolding herself.

"Hmmm, I dunno… red, maybe, or gold." Troy shrugged slightly. "What about you?"

"Blue and silver." She didn't even need to think before answering. Troy smiled.

"Twilight girl, are we?"

She laughed at the title. "Maybe," she replied, her gaze on the streets they were whizzing by. "Can I ask where we're going?" she finally inquired, overcome with curiosity. Troy grinned playfully.

"Nuh-uh. It's a secret," he spoke in an exaggerated whisper. She laughed again, hitting him gently on the arm.

Really, it was just like being out with an older brother, or a good friend, she thought. None of the awkwardness of the afternoon existed now. She wondered briefly if they had been awkward because of their mothers' presence.

Troy drove up to a fancy restaurant decked out in flashing lights. He parked the car and helped Gabriella out of it, even bowing gallantly as she looked around. She gave him a slight smile. "Wow. Posh," she commented, trying to stifle a laugh at the look on Troy's face.

"You don't like it? We can go someplace else if you like, I know a great place…" he babbled. Gabriella giggled.

"Relax, Troy, just kidding. It's fancy, but great." She smiled, not being able to resist another dig at him. "But aren't you a little under dressed for such a place?" She lifted her eyebrows.

Troy looked down at his attire. "Um, no… plus, I don't have anything else in my closet," he admitted. Gabriella chuckled.

"Okay, okay. Shall we, then?" He nodded and led the way. For a heartbeat he wondered if he was supposed to take her hand, but shook the thought away. He stopped in front of the door and spread his arms wide, as if proudly welcoming her to his own house.

She smiled at the expression on his face and prodded him lightly on the shoulder. "Shouldn't you keep moving, mister? The food's _inside_." Troy dropped his arms with a sheepish look and nodded, pushing open the ornate glass doors.

"Reservations under Bolton," he told the man by the door, who nodded. He flipped through a notepad and nodded again on seeing the name written there.

"This way," he spoke, leading the two to a table in the middle of the restaurant. Gabriella sat down on the chair proffered by Troy.

"Nice, quiet place, mmm?" There was chatter all around them. Troy, already in his own seat, scratched the back of his neck.

"Umm. Well, my parents made the reservation…" he replied, then realized what he had said a heartbeat later. Bolton, you idiot! You're not supposed to tell your date that your _parents_ made the reservation, he ranted at himself.

Gabriella, on the contrary, looked amused. "Are you an only child?" she asked quite suddenly. Troy's face fell at the question as it brought back painful memories.

"Um, no… t-two sisters," he mumbled, staring at the napkin on his lap. Gabriella's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh my… I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to… I mean…"

"Hey, no, it's okay," Troy interrupted her. "Um, let's order…"

The atmosphere between them was tense as the food arrived. Gabriella picked morosely at her salad, fidgeting with a lettuce leaf. Finally she looked up and spoke again.

"Look, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to… bring anything up… or anything…"

Troy's own eyes were trained on his food. It was a lump of… something, he wasn't quite sure. Meat, probably. He stabbed it with his fork and shrugged.

"Nah, it's okay. Can we just… move on to something else?"

Gabriella looked relieved to hear his reply and nodded slightly. "Err, well, I heard you're a basketball player?"

Troy lifted his eyes and nodded as well. "Yeah… my dad groomed me to play at the national level since I was a kid," he replied simply. She smiled faintly and looked back down at her salad. "Um, what about you?"

"Oh, I, uh… well, I'm _trying_ to become a published author," she admitted. Usually when asked this question, the other person replied with a snort of disbelief. When no sound came from Troy, she raised her eyes to see him staring at her in awe.

"W-wow… really? Good luck on that," he said sincerely. She beamed at him, suddenly a lot happier.

"Thanks… thanks a lot. I'll need all the help I can get," she joked.

The dinner then passed in a whirl of conversation. They barely paid attention to their food as they chatted amiably.

"Favourite animal?"

"Ahhh… lion, probably."

"A regular, manly choice…" said teasingly. "Mine's probably an eagle or a horse."

"Horse? Really? I thought you'd be the type who liked cats or something… don't writers like cats?"

"Oh, no. I'm allergic to cats."

"Oh."

Laughter erupted from them at regular intervals, and people from other tables cast a fond eye on them. One old lady even sighed softly. "Ahhh, young love."

When they strolled out of the restaurant, they were friends. Not lovers or romantic partners, but simply friends.

* * *

**AN: That was a shorter chapter than I wanted… but I couldn't write anymore, I really couldn't. I think it's cute though. Go Troyella :D Anyways, they're friends now, yay. Gabby's a little more outspoken and teasing than I wanted her to be, but writing her like this just comes naturally, so I'm going to let her be this way. Next chapter is… -drumroll- the proposal! Mhmm, after only three dates(I'm skipping ahead), Troy is going to propose to Gabby. I'm not sure what's the best way, so if anyone has any ideas for a proposal?**

**By the way, Troy and Gabriella seem pretty comfortable with each other, but the drama will come after the wedding… and very possibly during it, mwahaha. So watch out for the next chapter, ****Tears of Diamond**.


	7. Tears of Diamond

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I'm so sorry it took me four days to put this up! School is mental(when is it not?) and I've been struggling to catch up after missing a few days. Buuuut, I thought of a really romantic proposal, so I had to put this up! Also, I've realized that I haven't introduced Ryan! -gasp- Apologies to all the Taylor fans, but she's not going to play a very big role in this story. So, without further ado!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own HSM… still waiting for that party… I've got all the balloons, you know **

* * *

CHAPTER SIX: Tears of Diamond

Troy flopped onto his bed, staring at the small velvet box in his hand in disbelief. His father had handed it to him not five minutes ago, with a knowing look in his eye that said, "You know what to do with this". He dimly recalled the words Mr. Bolton had spoken to him about two weeks back, but he hadn't taken them seriously until now.

He had to propose to a girl he had known for two weeks. A girl he had taken out a grand total of three times. How messed up is this? thought Troy furiously. He toyed with the box for a while, then flung it at a nearby pillow, where it landed with a soft _fump_ sound.

Completely dissatisfied with the noise it created, half of him wanted to hurl the accursed thing out of the window. The other half knew it was impossible. His parents would never forgive him – and besides, Gabriella wasn't a bad girl. In fact, she was nice. Very nice. But his head only accepted her as a friend; he found it unfeasible to think of her as even his girlfriend, let alone his bride. His wife.

Growling unhappily, he stared at the box, lost in thought. He was rudely pulled back into reality as his cell phone shrilled near his ear. Leaping up, he looked around wildly before realizing where the sound was coming from. Picking up the vibrating phone, he slowly pressed _accept_ and held it up to his ear, murmuring a low "yes".

"Troy! Glad I caught you." The brisk voice coming out of the phone was that of his team manager, Ryan Evans. **(I know, Ryan, a basketball manager? But I like the idea, heehee)** "Been trying to get through to you for a couple of days, but I couldn't."

Troy sighed and stretched one arm, placing it behind his head. "Ah, yeah… I might've turned it off," he replied. "Crazy media keeps calling. Not sure how they got my cell number…"

"Well, that's what you get for being a superstar." Ryan's voice sounded amused, and Troy could almost picture his manager's smirk. "Anyways, turning to business. I need you back here on Thursday, Troy, no later."

Troy sat up, his eyes wide. Thursday! But it was already Sunday evening! In a panicked voice he said, "T-Thursday, Ryan? You mean, like in four days?"

"_Yes_ Troy. You've had your vacation, haven't you? Surely four weeks has been long enough?"

Troy bit his lip. "Um, yeah, 'course. I-I'll catch the flight back on Wednesday."

"All right. I'll book it for you then. Chad's already back, and everyone's waiting for you, Wildcat." Again, Troy could picture his friend's grin. "See you."

The line went dead, and Troy set down his phone. He picked up the black box again and scrutinized it carefully, opening the lid slowly. The diamond gleamed in the light of his bedroom, set simply on a plain golden band. Troy's heart clenched uncomfortably at the thought of Gabriella wearing this ring on her finger.

And he had to be back in New York on Thursday. True enough, she lived there as well, but if he had to do this, it had to be here. He groaned silently – what would she think? If she didn't know about the arranged marriage, she would be confused and a little creeped out. After all, who proposes after just three dates? And if she _did_ know, she would be resigned to it. It was a no-win situation.

He closed the box and tucked it into his jeans pocket. His red and white shirt was wrinkled from throwing himself on the bed, but he was otherwise presentable. Some inner instinct told him it had to be tonight. He couldn't just call her, it'd be far too impromptu, and although he wasn't a girl, he was sure it would not impress her if he just called and did it offhandedly. He racked his brains frantically, before arriving at the perfect solution.

Night had swept across the town when he threw on a jacket and yelled some excuse at his mother, who was sitting in the living room; something about going for a walk. She lifted a hand and waved it from side to side to show that she had heard him and resumed watching the show on TV.

He remembered where her house was – he had been there just three days ago. Blowing on his hands to warm them in the still-chilly air, he trudged down the sidewalk towards her house, feeling more and more anxious with every step. He paused when he arrived, suddenly hitting his forehead with one hand. How was he supposed to do it? Just casually knock on the door, saunter into her room and bend on one knee? He scanned the surroundings in desperation.

She had said her room was on the second floor, with a big balcony. He spotted it almost right away – no other balcony could be seen. Gazing at it for a while, he ignored the gnarled oak situated next to her room, its bare branches stark against the late winter night sky.

He had turned to walk away in despair when his eye finally caught the tree. He looked at it thoughtfully, his eyes darting from the balcony to the tree and back again. A grin curled across his face, and he scampered across the Montez's front yard. He placed a hand on the knotted bark as if reassuring himself before seeking something to hold on to and clambering up.

He puffed as he ascended the tree. It had been years since he had climbed a tree, and it had been much smaller. One thick branch extended towards her balcony, and he paused in appreciation of the scene. In summertime, he was sure it was beautiful here – a canopy of green leaves with sunlight filtering through them, shading the balcony.

He hopped onto the stone floor, steadying himself slightly. His hand went to his pocket to check if the box was still there. It was.

He tried to step as lightly as possible as he crossed the balcony, approaching the French windows that led to her room. It was her room, wasn't it? He hadn't made a horrible mistake? Oh, it would be so embarrassing if he walked in on her parents at – he glanced at his glow-in-the-dark digital watch – 7:48 pm. He knocked softly on the window, his view obscured by periwinkle blue curtains.

The lacy cloth soon parted to reveal the astonished face of Gabriella. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, curls framing her face. She quickly opened the window and stepped outside, studying Troy closely.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Her voice was a mixture of surprise and amusement. The lights in her room were off, and it was a new moon that night – they could both barely see anything. Troy cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. His feet hurt.

"I, um, needed to see you." His blue eyes were dark with intensity, and Gabriella could almost feel the heat from them. She shivered slightly, and Troy immediately shed his jacket and wrapped it around her. "I-I'm sorry, I know it's cold… I nearly froze walking here…" he rambled.

"Troy." She cut him short. "Can you tell me what is so important to tell me that you had to come on my balcony to say it to me? How'd you get up here anyway?"

Troy sheepishly pointed to the tree. Gabriella's eyes sparkled with laughter.

"Hmmm, I'm keeping my windows locked from now on, then. All right, spill, mister." She prodded him in the chest.

Troy started to get sweaty. How did people do this so often? Why was it so damn hard to just get on one knee and show a girl a ring? Because I'm promising to spend my life with her, that's why! screamed an inner voice.

She prompted him with a little cough. He blinked and shook his head slightly. "Ahh, yeah. Um." He fiddled with something in his pocket or on his pants – she couldn't really tell – and withdrew something from somewhere. She tried to see what it was, but it simply melted into the darkness of the night.

Troy slowly descended down to one knee, hearing Gabriella draw in her breath worriedly as he sank. He cleared his throat again.

"I-I've never been the best with words… but… well, I know I haven't known you for so long… but Gabby, you're, you're amazing." He hated lying like this – she was great, she was, but as a friend. But it was necessary to say these things. "And, well, I wanted to ask you a question."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow and waited for him to go on. Earlier that day her mother had told her that Troy had an important question to ask her, and she should say yes to it. Gabriella had merely laughed, thinking that Troy probably wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend or something. He was a sweet guy, and she loved getting to know him. She had been prepared to say yes if he asked, and here he was, about to ask.

Troy clutched the box nervously and lifted the lid. Even in the darkness, the shine of the diamond was still visible, and it momentarily blinded Gabriella. She let out a soft moan of disbelief as she crumpled down, now face to face with Troy. "I don't understand," she whispered softly, staring at the ring, tears dripping down her cheeks.

The setting was perfect, he mused before speaking. The stars glittered above them, and a balcony at night was a very romantic setting. His words were quiet and gentle. "Gabriella Montez," he murmured into her ear, "will you marry me?"

* * *

**AN: Totally cliché place to end the chapter, isn't it? Personally, I'm very proud of this chapter :) But you guys tell me what _you_ think!**

**So, Ryan has been introduced into the story, Troy is going back to New York in a few days and he's proposed to Gabriella! What will she say? Well, I think that's pretty obvious… buuut, hopefully what happens afterwards _isn't_ that obvious! The next chapter is My Heart – again, cliché title, but fitting. I think.**


	8. My Heart

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Okay, so I got reviews saying "how could you end it there??" so I just HAD to put this chapter up :) I'm really happy that a lot of you are enjoying the story, because I never dreamed I would manage to write a long story like what I've got planned for this one. So please, read on!**

**Disclaimer: I own all HSM-related things EXCEPT the darn movie and actors. -cries-  
**

* * *

CHAPTER SEVEN: My Heart

Gabriella stared into Troy's face, tears still coursing down her cheeks. The whispered question was too much for her. All that she managed to choke out was "W-what?"

Troy looked at her, his eyes suddenly inscrutable. He was waiting for her answer. Suddenly, her mother's warning about how Troy would ask her an important question and she should say yes to it came back. Her mother had known.

It was completely unheard of to be proposed to after going out with a guy for a mere three times. It was impossible, wasn't it? She knew her immediate answer should have been a horrified "no". Yet as she opened her mouth to say it, her heart clenched with longing.

Deep inside, she didn't want to just be a successful author – she wanted to be a mother, to have a family and a loving husband. It was natural, she knew. And Troy's words aroused those feelings again, and made her entire body ache. What if no one else ever asked? What if she was left alone, maybe rich and famous, but utterly alone, without the comfort of someone sleeping in the same bed as her each night?

It was with these thoughts that the word spilled out of her mouth – "Yes." Aghast at her reply, she raised her hands to her mouth, suppressing a moan. But she knew she couldn't back out now. He had asked her, and she had answered; she couldn't very well tell him "sorry, but I didn't mean it when I said yes a second back", could she?

Incredulity flashed across Troy's face, but it was soon hidden by a smile. Perhaps not as broad as it could have been, but it lightened her heart somewhat. His eyes lowered to the ring in the box, and he carefully slipped it out and placed it on her finger. Tears rose to her eyes again, but she managed a watery smile for him. He reached forward and embraced her in a warm hug, whispering "thank you" into her ear.

Somehow, he looked far more relived than happy. But Gabriella did not dwell on this for too long and instead gently pushed him away. "I think you should probably go home before your parents get frantic, or you die of the cold." He grinned, realizing that she was trying to lighten the atmosphere. He nodded ruefully and turned, clambering onto a thick branch extending over the balcony railing.

"Troy." He stopped, turning back with a quizzical look. She unwrapped his jacket from around herself and crossed the balcony, draping it over him. "I think this belongs to you," she murmured as she stepped away. His eyes darkened once again, but he gave her a nod and a smile before beginning his awkward descent down the tree.

She watched him walk towards her gate, where he turned one last time and raised a hand in farewell. She waved back, a faint smile playing on the ends of her lips. It was only once she had reentered her bedroom and shut the curtains that she realized the enormity of what she had done.

Gabriella flung herself onto her bed, trembling with shock. Her eyes were drawn to the slim golden band around her left ring finger, set with a sparkling diamond. What had she _done_? She had promised herself to a man she had known for two weeks! She was going to _marry_ him! Surely this was all a bad dream and she would wake up the next morning, ring-less?

But she knew it wasn't a dream. Groaning, she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. Her bedside lamp was lit and cast a circle of light, dimly illuminating the spot she was staring at. She didn't hear her mother's footsteps until Mrs. Montez entered her room.

Gabriella sat up hurriedly, gazing at her mother. Mrs. Montez's eyes darted to her left hand, and she let out a little scream of joy. "Oh Ella! You said yes! You said yes!" Astonished, Gabriella sat there dumbly as her mother flew across the room and engulfed her in a hug, sobbing with happiness.

"My little baby's going to get married! Oh, this is the proudest day of my life!" she cried. Gabriella patted her mother on the back, muttering a "Mom, can't breathe…"

Mrs. Montez pulled away and studied her daughter with a brilliant beam on her face. "We must start the preparations immediately! You'll be going back to New York soon, I'm sure? I think Troy's going to be leaving soon as well, why don't you ask him when, we can book the same flight…" On and on her mother babbled, so pleased that the scheme had worked.

Gabriella smiled tightly. "Sure, Mom. I'll call him right now and ask," she replied quietly to her mother's flow of words. Mrs. Montez composed herself and nodded briskly.

"You do that. I'll go tell your father." With that, her mother exited her room.

Gabriella sank back onto the bed, still partly in a stupor. Picking up her phone, she searched her contacts until she found his number – she hadn't yet learned it by heart. Placing the phone to her ear, she waited for him to pick up. Eventually he did, after four or five rings.

"Hey." His breath was labored. "Sorry, I, uh, had to run up to get this. My mom practically ambushed me when I got home."

She let out a throaty laugh. "Yeah, mine did too." She scratched her knee absentmindedly. "So, um, my mom wants to know which flight you're taking back, so she can book the same one for me…" Her voice sounded dull.

"Ahh, Wednesday afternoon." He too sounded uncomfortable. "If you want, I can get my manager to book an extra ticket for you, it's not a problem."

Gabriella laughed again, more softly. "Oh Troy… that is sweet, but it's okay. I'm sure my mom will take care of it." Tracing circles on her ceiling, she bit her lip as she resisted the urge to ask him, "Why did you pick me?"

"So, um, wow." She sounded pathetic to her own ears. Troy chuckled at the other end.

"I'm a little brain dead right now, too," he reassured her. "Listen, I'll call you tomorrow, okay? No offense, but I'm asleep on my feet." Gabriella agreed quietly and hung up, resting her head back on the softness of her mattress.

Hearing the click of high heels outside her bedroom, she called wearily, "Mom, he's taking the Wednesday afternoon flight to New York." A happy sound could be heard before the footsteps receded, leaving Gabriella alone with her thoughts. Finally she fell asleep, completely sapped physically and emotionally

* * *

The last few days in Albuquerque passed in a flash for Troy and Gabriella. Before they knew it, they were settled in their seats on a plane headed for New York. Mrs. Montez had called Troy's parents for help and they had urged Troy to get Ryan to book Gabriella a seat next to him. So they sat together, both wholly uncomfortable with each other but not wanting to admit it. 

They warmed up once again, laughing and joking about the horrible airline food, even though it was better than usual, the seats being in first-class. Gabriella picked at some macaroni and cheese, suddenly tired. Yawning, she closed her eyes and dropped her head onto Troy's shoulder, the gesture seeming instinctive and _right_. Troy made a small sound of protest, but he smiled as he saw her sleeping peacefully. Soon, both of them were fast asleep.

The journey was not a long one, and the plane landed in LaGuardia Airport. They collected their bags together and headed outside – Ryan was sending a driver to pick up Troy, while Sharpay was coming to get Gabriella. Both of them fidgeted awkwardly as they waited.

Troy broke the silence. "So, I guess I'll see you soon, Gabby…" he spoke softly. Gabriella looked up from her clasped hands and nodded slightly.

"Yeah. Um, how about Saturday? I know this great café near my place." She smiled brightly. It was easier to treat him as a friend, to pretend that nothing had happened. That way she could still be comfortably with him. Troy nodded back.

"Sounds great. I'll meet you at Penn Station?" he offered. She smiled again.

"Uh-huh. Take care." She pondered briefly on how to say goodbye and settled for a hug. Troy hugged her back and picked up his two suitcases as a car paused in front of him. He managed a little wave before handing his bags to the driver and slipping inside the car.

"Bye!" he called as he sped away. She waved in reply.

Gabriella shouldered her handbag and rolled her own suitcase along, knowing that Sharpay would be somewhere near the terminal entrance. She soon caught a glimpse of a bright pink car and a figure with blonde hair waving from the driver's seat. Honestly, Sharpay had to be the _only_ person in all of New York to own a pink car.

"Gabs! Missed you!" she squealed as Gabriella slid in after depositing her bags in the back seat. Gabriella smiled briefly.

"I missed you too, Shar. But I've got some news for you." She took a deep breath and held up her left hand, right in front of Sharpay's stunned eyes.

"I'm getting married."

* * *

**AN: Blahhh, I didn't like this chapter much. I know it seems confusing why Gabby said yes, but the point is, she did… so the story can go on, haha. Please tell me what you think :) :)**


	9. I Want to Save Her

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I loved your reviews! Thank you so much! ♥♥♥ Anyways, I've decided to answer some reviews because they have a question or simply because I find them funny :)**

**CoCoPixie134 – Many apologies for making Taylor a sidelined character, but this story just popped into my head and I couldn't find room for her. Very very sorry. As to your question, hrmm. I think Ryan & Sharpay will indeed be brother and sister, though to be honest I hadn't thought about it before… lazy me. Thanks for bringing it up!**

**JenniGirl1 – Stalker, heeheehee… that made me giggle REALLY hard :D Admittedly it is a little weird to be asked to marry someone you barely know, but poor Troy and Gabby have been thrown headlong into this by their mean, mean parents -pats them reassuringly-**

**xoxMusicalxox – Thank you so much! You have no idea how much your compliments mean to me. Did you know Bullied Into Love was the first story I EVER read on Fanfiction? That makes your comments all the more special, so thank you again**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM. But I will be SURE to put it on my Christmas list. I know there are still two months left till Christmas, but I plan ahead ;) **

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHT: I Want to Save Her

"Spill, Gabs," demanded Sharpay as she stared at the diamond glittering on Gabriella's finger. "How did this happen? Do I know who he is? Gosh, you _never_ told me about seeing a guy while you were there! How - "

Gabriella cut off her overly excited friend with a laugh. "Relax, Sharpay, I'll tell you everything," she promised. "But for now, can you keep your eyes on the road so we don't run over someone?" Sharpay's mouth formed a perfect 'o' as she reverted her gaze to the road, swerving to narrowly avoid a middle-aged couple almost to the other side of the zebra crossing.

Gabriella hurriedly explained the entire story as they headed back into Manhattan, but paused at the proposal. Sharpay squealed. "You knew each other for _two weeks_ and he proposed? How sweet!"

"Ahh, weird is more like it," replied Gabriella wryly. Sharpay lifted an eyebrow and turned her head slightly to meet her friend's eyes.

"Then why did you say yes?"

Gabriella hesitated. How could she explain the unbearable longing of companionship to her friend? Sharpay wasn't like that; she was a social butterfly and flitted from one relationship to another. She didn't usually have a boyfriend for more than one week, and happily moved on afterwards. Gabriella couldn't understand her outlook on romance, but decided to overlook it since they were such good friends.

"Well, he's a sweet guy, and, well, I just…" she said lamely. Sharpay's eyebrow climbed higher but the vivacious blonde said nothing else and concentrated on driving. The rest of the journey passed in silence.

* * *

Troy dragged his feet as he entered his flat, groaning in exhaustion. It wasn't easy to get houses in New York, and he had been happy to settle for a two-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and two bathrooms – the extra bedroom was a must, as Chad more than often came over and crashed at Troy's place, being unable to find a home for himself. Ryan had offered to help, but Troy secretly felt that Chad preferred sleeping at Troy's. The two friends were as close as brothers, and Troy didn't mind at all that Chad slept in his house. Of course, Ryan took care of the bills. 

He rubbed his face tiredly as he sank down onto his bed. He had a date on Saturday, which was… three days away, right? He glanced at his digital clock sitting on his bedside table and confirmed it – it was 10 pm Wednesday night. He heard grunting from the other bedroom and guessed that Chad had already made himself at home.

" I wonder where he got my house keys from," he muttered as he flopped onto the bed, turning his body so that he his stomach rested on the mattress. Too tired to contemplate this thought further, he drifted off into a restful slumber.

The sound of Chad complaining about lack of food woke him the next morning. He stretched and looked at his clock – 9:17 am, Thursday. Getting up slowly from the bed, he sauntered into the kitchen and winced at the sound of Chad's protests.

"Dude. I thought you got back before me? Why didn't you go shopping?" he replied to his friend's tirade of how there was nothing more than a jar of mustard and moldy cheese in the refrigerator. Troy yanked open the door and saw that Chad's words were more or less right – there was a box of cake too, but it must have gone stale a long time ago.

"What am I, your wife? I'm not gonna go _shopping_, this is your place, you do it!"

"Yeah, what _are_ you, a paying guest? What have you been eating for the week I haven't been here, then?"

Chad grinned slightly. "Well, I wasn't actually here. You know Eric's sister? I was kinda at her place…" Troy groaned and raised both hands.

"Never mind. I don't need to know."

He threw on his coat and shuffled out the door. The grocery store was only a short walk away, and the stroll would be good for him – it would clear his head and wake him up properly. He had temporarily forgotten that fans roamed the streets even in the mornings.

Throaty screams jerked him out of his reverie. Eyes widening, he saw several teenagers scampering towards him, waving pens and notepads. Muttering something under his breath, he sprinted towards the store, pausing only to grab some bananas and a carton of milk. He'd come back shopping later. How had he forgotten to put on his sunglasses or a baggier jacket?

He slammed the door shut as he reached a safe haven, to be met by Chad's big eyes watching him. "What'd you get?" he asked eagerly, and without waiting ripped the bag from his hands and rifled through its contents. He made a face of disgust and dropped it on a nearby table.

"Bananas?! Couldn't you get something else? Like apples or something?"

Troy replied through gritted teeth, "You know what? Want something else, go out and get it!" Chad looked highly affronted.

"Fine! I will!" He stalked outside, only to return a few minutes late minus a patch of his shirt.

"I think I'll go later," he said weakly and staggered off towards his room. Troy smirked after him.

The ringing of his cell phone emerged from a pile of blankets lying at the foot of his bed. Swooping down, Troy examined the caller ID to discover it was his mother calling him. Answering the call with a "hi mom", he didn't expect to hear tears in her voice.

"T-troy… it's… Hailey…"

The smile dropped off his face and a frown furrowed his forehead. "Give me the number, I want to talk to her," he said softly. His mother recited a phone number tearfully and hung up after, no doubt, Troy thought, to go and cry. Something heavy settled down in his chest as he dialed the number slowly.

A crisp, clipped voice answered. Troy swallowed before saying softly, "Um, hi. I'd like to speak to Hailey Bolton, if she's in a fit state to talk? I'm her brother." The nurse told him to wait while she handed the phone to his sister. Troy fidgeted, hopping from one foot to the other.

"T-t-t-troy." Her voice was barely audible. Gone was the glee from it when she talked to him. Troy felt tears pricking his eyes and he resolutely wiped them away.

"Hey, Hal. How're you doing?" He put on a cheery voice as he talked to her, as if he could pretend there was nothing wrong, as if he could banish the pain by ignoring it. Hailey let out a strangled laugh that sounded like a cough.

"T-t-the doctors told me." Troy's throat constricted. "They said that… that… that there was no point sending me anyplace else. They can't do anything." Her stutter was gone, and she spoke surely.

He closed his eyes and felt tears clinging to his eyelashes. "Hal… no…" he said helplessly, clenching his free hand and unclenching it, wanting to comfort her but knowing there was nothing he could say. "Hal… I-I'm sorry… I didn't come to see you…" His voice sunk to little more than a whisper.

He could almost see her sad smile. "It's okay, Troy. Mom told me what's been going on," she replied quietly. "I'll come for the wedding, I promise. I want to see my new sister."

"Okay. I love you, Hal. Keep fighting, okay?"

"Yeah… bye Troy."

Troy clutched the phone tightly as he heard her hang up, the dial tone beeping in his ears. He was dimly aware of his cheeks being damp from tears but made no move to wipe them away. He dropped the phone onto the bed and followed it, lying motionlessly with his eyes trained on the ceiling.

He heard Chad's voice saying that he was going out again, but didn't respond to it. All he could do was gaze at the ceiling and wonder why he couldn't do anything to save the sister he so loved.

* * *

**AN: So, a sadder chapter towards the end. I had to reintroduce Hailey somehow, and I decided to do it now. She plays a very important part in the story – well, the beginning of it at least. To explain Troy and Hailey's relationship, they're very close. This was just a little about Troy. Do you want the wedding in the next chapter, or the chapter after that? I'm sorry the story's going so slowly, but I'm a slow writer… just tell me if you want me to speed up! I'll try!**


	10. Your Pain is Mine

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Yay, another one! I seriously love writing this story, and I'm glad you guys like it too!**

**JenniGirl1 – Yes ma'am -salutes-**

**jUztafAn – I'm glad you've taken to Hailey… I really like her too. As for her dying… well, we'll just have to see, won't we?**

**CoCoPixie134 – Mmm, fair point, I should've added more detail. But the thing is, Hailey just sprung into life when I was writing the second chapter, and I haven't had much time to think about what sickness she has or whatever… I promise I'll try to include more detail on her later**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM… but I get to own the ring Troy gave Gabriella in this story! Mwahahaha! **

* * *

CHAPTER NINE: Your Pain is Mine

Saturday dawned bright and breezy, with a playful wind tugging at the hair of the early risers who were out and about already. Gabriella shot upright at the sound of birdsong, but regretted it a moment later; her head throbbed painfully. Groaning, she flopped back down and rolled onto her stomach, remembering the previous night with a grimace.

Sharpay had wanted to take her out to experience "clubbing" and had literally dragged her to a bar. While Gabriella stood uncomfortably on the sides, Sharpay threw herself into the throng and drank and danced to her heart's content. Finally, Gabriella relented and had a few drinks… how she wished she hadn't been so easily swayed now.

And today, today she was going to see Troy again. Somehow she had found herself wondering about him in her free time, about what he was doing, where he was, what he was thinking about. Her fingers instinctively began to fiddle with the ring around her left ring finger, twisting it around and around. Sighing, she rose again, this time more gracefully.

Dressing hurriedly, she slipped into a pair of sneakers and exited her apartment, stopping only to contemplate her story on an open Word document. Sighing, she decided she would read through it when she got back and edit whatever didn't satisfy her. Her phone in her pocket and her wallet in her handbag dangling from her shoulder, she locked the door and left for Pennsylvania Station.

Trotting along, she hugged herself to warm up her body, not taking kindly to the extra nip in the air. The walk to Penn Station wasn't far, and before long she found herself at the entrance, hopping from foot to foot in impatience and cold. Now that she thought of it, Troy hadn't specified where in Penn Station he was going to meet her. An annoyed moan escaped her as she wished she had put on a heavier coat.

Soon she spied a familiar shaggy head bobbing its way through the crowd. Troy looked red in the face and thoroughly embarrassed as he stopped beside her, huffing. Gabriella crossed her arms, pretending to look upset, but could not stop a grin from spreading across her face.

"What happened?" she asked softly. Troy winced, looking sheepish.

"You'll make fun of me. Being a seasoned Manhattan dweller and all."

Gabriella uncrossed her arms, mirth written on her face. But her voice was solemn as she replied, "I promise I won't."

Troy sighed dramatically. "Well, I took the subway to the wrong stop… I meant to creep up behind you waiting here from inside. I mean, I was pretty sure you'd wait here, since most people consider this the 'official' entrance and all…"

"Troy, you're rambling." She smacked him lightly on the arm. "So you got lost, is that it?" Her brown eyes sparkled playfully as he nodded.

"Hey, you promised!" he protested. Gabriella shook her head, a few curls coming loose of her ponytail.

"I'm not making fun of you, am I now?" she answered, giggling softly. "But hey, it's cool. It happens, don't worry. I guess you're used to being driven around and stuff."

Troy shrugged. "Yeah… I'd better learn how to take a subway soon, huh?" They laughed together for a while, before the cold got the better of Gabriella. She shivered.

Troy immediately stopped chuckling. "Why don't we head over to that café?" he suggested. He mulled over wrapping an arm around her shoulder to warm her and decided against it – it'd be horribly awkward for both of them. Gabriella nodded slightly and they set off, Gabriella's pace matching Troy's perfectly, thought she panted a little.

Gabriella soon overtook him to lead the way to a cozy little place just a few blocks from the station. Troy smiled at the sight – it had a slightly frilly red canopy above the entrance, and curling script read _L'Ardour Café_

"The French is terrible, but they have the _best_ croissants!" Gabriella stated brightly, slipping inside the warm café. Troy followed close behind, inhaling the smells appreciatively. The café smelt like warm bread and fresh coffee. Gabriella settled down at a table for two against the front wall of the place, gesturing for Troy to join her. He laughed, and felt the pain that was bottled inside him ease ever so slightly.

He joined her and smiled at her, still laughing. "I like this place," he said warmly. "It's really… homey, I think is the word?" She giggled slightly.

"Homey's a nice word," she agreed, clasping her hands in front of her. "I love this place, Sharpay and I come here for lunch break whenever we can…"

Troy tilted his head. "Sharpay?" he questioned.

"Oh, my best friend, Sharpay Evans. She works at a clothes shop near the bank where I work, and most of the time lunch is at the same time in the two places, so whenever we're up for a walk we come here." Gabriella's face lit up as she talked about her friendship with Sharpay. Troy grinned.

"Sharpay Evans? Are you serious?"

She stopped, looking confused. "Yeah, I am… why?"

He couldn't resist. He burst out laughing again. "Sharpay! Oh my God, her brother, Ryan, is my manager… he always talks to me about her, they're twins I think…"

Gabriella looked at him quizzically. "Seriously? I wonder if we're talking about the same Evans here?" she joked, grinning almost as widely as Troy.

"If we aren't, it's a damn weird coincidence," Troy replied, a chuckle escaping him again.

They ordered a croissant each and Troy ordered coffee – Gabriella opted for tea. As they sipped their drinks, no conversation was made, and Gabriella could see a deep sadness in Troy's eyes. The intense longing there made her heart ache. His eyes were dark with other unreadable emotions, but she got the gist of it. Reaching out tentatively, she placed her slightly cold hand on his tightly clenched fists.

"Troy?" Her voice was soft and hesitant. "Is… is something wrong?"

His eyes snapped into focus, having been glazed with memories only a few seconds earlier. He searched her eyes silently, and Gabriella almost quivered under the strength of his gaze. After a while, he answered in a heavy voice. "No."

Gabriella's eyes flashed and she gripped his hands between hers, her eyes boring into his. "I don't believe that," she said quietly. Troy stiffened.

"I don't care," he snapped back. She glared at him, her gaze smoldering.

"You know what? We're going to get married sometime, Troy. If you can't start sharing things with me _now_… when will you?" Her voice was quiet but firm. This time it was Troy who wilted.

"Gabriella… just… look, I can't tell you, okay?" he hissed. The pain and anger roiled inside him, making him almost physically sick. "I can't!"

"Yes you can." Her words were intended for comfort, and they slid through Troy's ears like cool, calming stream water. His hands moved out of her hold and rose to cover his face as hot tears swelled in his eyes, spilling over and leaking through his fingers. Gabriella watched him quietly, before pulling her chair around the table to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and pulled him towards her, resting his head in the crook of her neck. His entire body heaved and shook as he sobbed brokenly into her shoulder.

The café was almost empty, and the staff had the prudence to pretend to ignore the emotional moment between the two. Gabriella stroked his head softly, trying to soothe him with murmured words. Troy didn't hear any of them, but he was comforted by the sound of her voice. After a few minutes his weeping subsided and he pulled away from her embrace, wiping his cheeks in an embarrassed manner.

"'M sorry," he mumbled, his blue eyes swollen from crying. Gabriella smiled softly at him.

"Never be sorry to cry. You just needed to let off some steam, it's okay," she replied. "Your pain is my pain now, Troy. Don't forget that." She hesitated slightly. "You want to tell me about it?"

The story came tumbling out of Troy with alarming speed. He told her everything – how much he loved Hailey, even though they were ten years apart in age; he had never spent much time with his older sister, who was now twenty-six. He told her about the day the doctors had told them about her illness, about how it was most likely terminal. Gabriella listened silently, tears sliding down her own cheeks as she heard of the anguish Troy went through every day when he thought of her.

"I miss her already, Gabby, and she's not even gone yet… what am I going to do when she's not here anymore?" he cried, trying unsuccessfully to staunch a fresh flow of tears. Gabriella rubbed his back comfortingly, like a mother calming a child. Troy breathed heavily but was reassured by her warm presence.

"Troy… your sister is strong. She knows how to cope with this, and you will too. Can you imagine what it must be like for her? Not knowing if she'll wake up the next day when she goes to sleep? Be strong for her, be her rock, don't let her hear or see you cry, but let out your feelings later, always let them out… don't be afraid to cry..." she whispered to him. The two sat close together, his head on her shoulder, her arms around his waist – a perfect picture.

* * *

**AN: What did you think? This was another emotional chapter, but some Troyella in there… so Gabriella and Troy are getting closer. I was almost crying while I wrote this, it affected me pretty deeply. Gabriella now knows about Hailey! I don't really know what illness Hailey has(isn't that sad? The writer doesn't know?), so if anyone wants to give me ideas… otherwise I'll just keep going like this, not giving it a name. The next chapter is the wedding(yes, I'm skipping a couple of months, cause the main action between them is after they're married), so keep a lookout for it!**


	11. A Misty Bridal Veil

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I simply HAD to put up this chapter... hopefully no one will complain, right? Anyways, I just want to thank everyone's who's kept with the story up till now! Okay, so I know it's only the tenth chapter, but let me tell you I'm totally overwhelmed by the response this story has gotten. I know, all writers say that, right? But that doesn't make it any less true. Now, on to the wedding! -plays Here Comes the Bride-**

**Please bear with me during this chapter, I really have no clue how Christian weddings take place, apart from the "I do's" and such…**

**Ahh, also, I'm aware I use some, um, "harsh" language at times… please tell me if this bothers you, and I'll cut it out.**

**mars.x – Oh no no! I'm sorry if I've confused you and anyone else, but Hailey is Troy's _younger_ sister. Troy is twenty-five, Hailey is fifteen and their older sister is twenty-six. Ehehehe, I hope I cleared that up :)**

**Disclaimer: I wish… I own nothing but the plot and Hailey **

* * *

CHAPTER TEN: A Misty Bridal Veil

Four months had positively flown by. Gabriella had been shocked to find that they wedding would be in mid-July. Four months wasn't enough to plan a wedding, was it? You were only married once! She wanted everything to be perfect, from the white lilies and pale pink carnations in her bouquet to the soft, dreamy music playing before she walked down the aisle. Now she paced up and down in her apartment, waiting for Sharpay to pick her up and drive over to the church.

Her white gown was simple, with a wide skirt and a beautiful white veil that was as soft as gossamer to touch. Gabriella clutched her bouquet close to her chest as if she feared it might fly away. A quick ring of the doorbell nearly sent her into hysterics as she dashed across the small apartment and yanked open the door to be face to face with her blonde friend.

Sharpay's brown eyes sparkled with laughter. "Gabs! Go easy," she giggled, reaching out an arm to steady the brunette. Gabriella fiddled nervously with a curl draped over her shoulder, suddenly looking terrified. Sharpay noticed her expression and frowned slightly.

"Gabriella? What's wrong?" She only shook her head in reply. How could Gabriella tell Sharpay that she was wondering why Troy had picked her? They barely knew each other, despite the fact that they were close now; but it was a friendly kind of closeness, not a romantic intimacy. She twisted her engagement ring a few times before taking a deep breath.

"I'm okay." The words came out in a soft whisper. "I-I'm okay."

Sharpay smiled sympathetically and rubbed her friend's back comfortingly. "Relax, Gabs, Troy obviously loves you. And you're pretty close to him, so there's no problem. Just go and have fun."

"How can you say that?" Gabriella exploded. "This isn't a _party_, Sharpay! I'm going to have to stand in front of a crowd of people and pledge myself to someone I've known for five freaking months! How messed up is that?" Her voice rose to screaming pitch and she wrung her hands frantically.

Sharpay watched her friend helplessly. "You know what, let's just _go_," she finally exclaimed, grabbing Gabriella's hand and dragging her towards the car, only pausing to lock up the apartment with Gabriella's own key.

Gabriella was on the verge of a nervous breakdown now and kept her hands on her face, covering her eyes as she wept softly. How had this happened? Five months ago she was just thinking about how she could get her newest story looked at by some publishers, and then Troy Bolton came into her life like a lightning bolt out of the blue. It was completely insane. Now she was getting married to him.

Fear constricted her throat. How had she never thought about how married life would be like? Where would they live? Would she be able to continue her same work pattern? Would she be dragged to random basketball functions as Troy's wife?

Sharpay noticed the alarmed look on Gabriella's face and tapped her shoulder gently. "Gabs," she spoke again, almost frustrated at her friend's antics, "please, please, _please_ just calm down, or I might crash because of keeping a constant eye on you." Gabriella sighed softly and folded her hands in her lap, nodding meekly.

The church was smaller than Gabriella would have liked for her wedding – she had always dreamed of a big, splashy wedding in a big airy cathedral with Mr. Right waiting for her at the altar with love shining in his eyes. The scene wasn't quite as she had imagined – the twenty-odd people invited to the wedding barely managed to fit into the cramped space. Or so it seemed to Gabriella as she was whisked by the main hall into a side room to have finishing touches put on her.

She sighed irritably as a make-up artist, hired by Sharpay, dabbed at her cheeks with something or the other. After ten minutes of it, Gabriella snapped at the woman, "Look, this is a wedding, not a fashion show! Can you leave me alone, please?" The lady looked taken aback at Gabriella's harsh tone and scurried away hurriedly.

She began to pace again, her eyes closed. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to marry Troy Bolton in half an hour. She was going to be Gabriella Bolton. She made a face at the name, opening her eyes and staring down at her hands.

Her phone began to ring as she examined her hands, and she jumped slightly. A special ring tone she had selected for Troy's calls blasted through the small room.

_This may never start_

_We could fall apart_

_And I'd be your memory_

_Lost your sense of fear_

_Feelings insincere_

_Can I be your mem – _

She hit the "end call" button, silently grinding her teeth. How could Troy be calling her at a time like this? What was he thinking? A soft sound of amusement made her turn, eyes darting about nervously.

"That's an interesting song to choose for my brother." The speaker had pale auburn hair and intense blue eyes, just like her brother. Hailey Bolton coughed and moved forward, grasping the door handle to maintain her balance.

"Why'd you choose it?"

Gabriella stared at the wasted girl standing before her with a mixture of pity and amazement. "I… it's complicated," she replied feebly. "But I think it fits."

Hailey nodded slightly, swaying on the spot. "I think it does," she whispered. "More than you know." Before Gabriella could question her more closely about her words, she abruptly changed the topic.

"So you're going to be my new sister? I think I'll like you." She smiled sweetly at the brunette, and Gabriella felt a smile cross her own face. She walked towards the fifteen-year-old and paused a few feet away from her.

"Why did you come here?" she asked gently, ready to aid the girl in case she weakened and fell. Hailey shrugged.

"I wanted to see you before the wedding. Speaking of which, you should be going now, it's going to start soon."

A chuckle escaped Gabriella. "Well, aren't you the flower girl? You should already be there, you walk down the aisle before me, remember?"

Hailey grinned lightly. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I'll see you later, Gabriella." She turned and struggled with the door for a minute before prying it open and slowly limping down the hallway, towards the gathered crowd.

Gabriella watched her go with a feeling that she had just been touched by a miracle.

* * *

Troy waited next to the vicar at the altar, fidgeting with his cuffs. Chad stood next to him, holding the rings on a scarlet satin pillow. Being Troy's best man, he had taken it upon himself to keep the rings safe, and disregarded Troy's protests that someone _else_ was supposed to have the rings. Chad was as stubborn as a mule sometimes, Troy reflected with an inward grin. He accidentally hit someone's number on speed dial as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, but no voice issued through his pockets. The person evidently hadn't picked up. 

Music began to play as the flower girl entered, leaning heavily upon the arm of the maid of honor, a tearful Sharpay. Every heart in the assembled throng went out to the thin, pale girl with brilliant blue eyes as she scooped out cream-colored petals from a wicker basket and tossed them about almost half-heartedly. Hailey was trying her best, but the effort winded her badly.

The music changed to the popular wedding song of "Here Comes the Bride", but there was no bride to be seen. Troy panicked. Where was Gabriella? Had she even made it to the church? Did she run off rather than be married to him? But she had said yes, hadn't she?

Sharpay gave him a look and mouthed, "she's here". Troy relaxed ever so slightly and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and then back again. Everyone seemed to be looking around, wondering where the bride was.

A white figure appeared at the end of the aisle. Gabriella looked paler than Hailey and walked with a strange, jerky gait. Troy frowned slightly at her. What was wrong?

She paused when she reached her spot next to him and held her bouquet close to her heart, her eyes on her hands. She didn't meet Troy or Sharpay's worried gazes, or her parents'. The vicar looked irritated at her late arrival but began to intone the familiar words.

"Do you, Troy William Bolton, take Gabriella Anna Montez to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Troy took a deep breath. "I-I do." His voice quivered slightly, but other than that the words were clear. The vicar transferred his gaze on Gabriella.

"And do you, Gabriella Anna Montez, take Troy William Bolton to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Gabriella's reply was unexpected.

"Why, Troy?" she whispered, raising her eyes to finally meet his through her veil. "Why did you ask me to marry you?" Her words were soft and could only be heard by Troy and the vicar. The latter harrumphed crossly but kept silent as Troy opened his mouth to reply. Tears had blurred Gabriella's vision so she could only see the black of his suit, the brown-blond of his hair and the faint blue of his eyes. His chest felt painfully tight as he struggled to invent something on the spot.

"Because you, Gabriella Montez, are simply remarkable. Do you know that? Who wouldn't love you, Gabriella? I know this seems so, so rushed, but it feels right. And you can't tell me that you don't feel something for me, otherwise you would have never said yes." He felt so low, lying to her like this. She wanted reassurance, and all he was giving her was dishonesty. But surely, he would come to feel something for her soon? His powerful gaze held her eyes.

"I-I-I do." She stuttered far more than Troy had, but the words came from her. The vicar cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, for the first time ever… Mr. and Mrs. Troy William Bolton!"

The crowd cheered and clapped as Troy slipped a golden wedding band on Gabriella's ring finger, and she did the same. Both knew what they had to do now. Troy gently raised Gabriella's veil and looked straight into her eyes, comforting her with his steady gaze. He leaned in and pecked her lightly on the lips; their first kiss. Gabriella touched her fingers to her lips, her eyes still locked with his. It wasn't passionate or romantic, but both of them had felt a small thrill as their lips met briefly.

* * *

**AN: Mehh, I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this chapter. Poor Troy and Gabriella, their first kiss was at their wedding… heeheehee… it wasn't very romantic, was it? But there you have it, they're both still awkward with each other, remember! And Gabriella finally meets Hailey! Hurray!**

**Extra points to anyone who guesses the song that is Gabriella's ring tone for Troy and the band that plays it ;) I'll give you muffins! (Yum!)**


	12. Life With You

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Guys, you amaze me. Seriously, 99 reviews? 17 reviews for the wedding? Oh my God.**

**Well, since there's always been something special for the hundredth reviewer, here's mine. You get to name the remaining Bolton sister! The one who's twenty-six. You can give her your own name or some other name you like, doesn't matter. I love you all :)**

**mars.x – Hurray for you, you get a muffin! -hands it over- It's just a plain muffin, I'm sorry. And don't worry, I'll try not to break either of their hearts too much :):) But I can't make any promises :P**

**walkingbilboard1 – Thank you! And you get a muffin too! -gives muffin-**

**snowstardreams – Oh, Gabby and Troy **_**will**_** be in love, don't worry ;) And you get a muffin as well! -gives muffin-**

**Lil-Evans – It's not that they haven't felt **_**anything**_** for each other, but they have friendly feelings for each other, not like, romantic feelings. Like brother-sister instead of boyfriend-girlfriend or husband-wife. And I'm glad you like Hailey, she was totally unexpected but I love her too :)**

**xxxNaley forevaxxx – You get a muffin! -gives muffin-**

**VanessaEfron-GabriellaBolton – Muffin muffin muffin… -gives muffin-**

**CoCoPixie134 – Thank you for both your reviews! I should've really researched weddings more before writing that chapter, I guess… but all the clichéd movies I've seen have "Here Comes the Bride" playing, so I just assumed… I know now for future references! Thanks again!**

**JenniGirl1 – Haha, yeah, I think I can deal with it ;) Yeah, the ninth chapter was really emotional for me too… but the tenth chapter was fun! Weddings are always fun, right?**

**Ahhh, sorry for the super-long AN, guys. And the shorter chapter. So, um, enjoy?**

**Disclaimer: I should hire someone to come up with witty saying that imply "I don't own High School Musical"… what do you guys think? **

* * *

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Life With You

Troy slipped into the driver's seat after gallantly opening the door for Gabriella on the passenger's side. Outwardly he was beaming and seemed full of happiness, but his insides were squirming with guilt. He could see a faint gleam of love light in Gabriella's eyes and knew that his words had had the desired effect on her – but then why did he feel so ashamed of himself?

He and Gabriella had decided beforehand not to go anyplace exotic for their honeymoon. They were going to head back to Albuquerque for a few weeks and then return to New York. There was still the issue of where they would live, but Troy didn't bother thinking about that at the moment. He started the car and drove away, making sure that Gabriella had enough time to throw her bouquet out of the window.

She smiled at the people waving goodbye to them and even managed to catch a glimpse of Sharpay handing the bouquet she had caught to Hailey, who was waving energetically at the retreating car. Tears rose to her eyes as she remembered the conversation she had had with the girl, and Gabriella knew she would treasure the memory forever.

The journey to the airport – they were leaving from LaGuardia again – was silent. Gabriella's eyes were fixed on the scenes outside the car window and Troy kept his gaze on the road. When he stopped the car in front of their terminal, he finally broke the silence.

"Hey. Could you get the handbags out, please?"

Gabriella laughed out loud. "You do realize that that's the first thing you've said to me since the wedding?" she asked, arching an eyebrow in an amused fashion. Troy felt himself turning red.

"Ahhh… well, so?" he tried to defend himself. She shook her head and exited the car, giggling.

"Never mind."

They had stopped at Gabriella's apartment on the way to the airport, since it was closer, to change into more casual clothing. Troy had stifled a laugh at the thought of how people would react if they saw Gabriella and him in their wedding attire. Still chuckling, he lugged their two suitcases onto a trolley and set off towards the terminal entrance. Gabriella trailed after, rolling one handbag with the other one dangling from her shoulder.

Everything after that passed by in a blur. Once they started talking again, it was hard to stop. The person sitting next to them in the airplane had to ask them to quiet down once in a while, because they laughed so much and so loudly. Gabriella had looked mortified and had apologized hurriedly, but Troy had just laughed it off.

They arrived at Albuquerque Airport in the early evening. A taxi service had been phoned, courtesy of Ryan, and a well-dressed chauffeur was there to pick them up and handled their baggage efficiently. Troy and Gabriella sat in the back seat, still smiling and chatting amiably.

Troy felt uncomfortably comfortable talking to her. It was good to be laughing with her, but it felt like he was with a sister, or a good friend. Wasn't there supposed to be some sort of barrier between them? Shouldn't they be shy and awkward?

He decided to broach the subject with Gabriella. After all, he was going to have to live with her now, wasn't he? Her reply was unexpected.

"I think we've already taken care of most of the awkwardness, don't you?" She smiled. "But this is just the beginning. Believe me, I don't think you'll be worrying about us not being embarrassed with each other for long." There was a mischievous glint in her eyes that Troy didn't quite like.

Their parents would not be home for another few days, so Mrs. Montez had given the house keys to Gabriella. Troy had forgotten to ask his parents, so he didn't get the keys from them. When he confessed this to her, she just shrugged lightly. "I guess that means we'll stay at my place," she replied simply.

Troy felt strangely cramped in the Montez household. There was no basketball hoop in the backyard, and even though he could have just walked over to his own house and played there, there remained the fact that he had forgotten to pack a basketball. Maybe it was for the best. He didn't want the neighbors to call the police because they saw some weird guy playing basketball in the backyard of a house that was supposed to be unoccupied for a few more days.

Gabriella had no problems whatsoever – she had carried her current story on a CD and worked on it for two to five hours every day. She didn't seem to notice how bored Troy was, and that irked him. Wasn't she supposed to know him better? Couldn't she see when he was listless and needed something to do?

Then he remembered, as always, that this wasn't a usual marriage. Both barely knew anything about each other. He didn't know before then that, for instance, that she often deleted everything she had written previously, rewrote it, fretted about it and then cried for half an hour because it wasn't as she had imagined it to be. Gabriella was a true perfectionist. Troy wondered if she was upset that _he_ wasn't perfect.

Since he couldn't play basketball for the six days that their parents were still in New York, he usually roamed about the house, examining every aspect of Gabriella's life closely. Perhaps he could learn more about her and be more comfortable with her in a husband-wife sort of way. He saw pictures of her with her mother and father, beaming at the camera. He saw a few pictures of her with a big golden dog, rolling around and laughing with it. She seemed to be about thirteen in those pictures. He even saw one picture of her with a child cradled in her arms when she was ten or so – but there were no other pictures of an infant to be seen, apart from photos of Gabriella as a feisty looking two year old.

He wondered about that one picture. Two days after they had returned to Albuquerque, he asked Gabriella about it. The day after that, he found that the photo had been removed from the mantle, and Gabriella looked decidedly irritable the entire day.

Admittedly, he hadn't told her the full details about Hailey either… but at least he had _told_ her. He was relieved when his and Gabriella's parents returned, and insisted that they spend some time at the Bolton residence. He was free to play basketball again, having a stash of extra balls in his closet, and Gabriella looked happier as well, working cheerfully at her story. He had read a bit of it, and even though fantasy wasn't something he read often, he marveled at the fact that she was able to string words together to form such vivid images. He told her so, and got a gracious smile and a blush in return.

Maybe, maybe they could make this work. Maybe he didn't have to tell her that his parents had set him up to marry her. Maybe they could have their happily ever after.

* * *

**AN: Bleh. I thought this was a horribly confusing, meandering chapter, but it's just to show how Gabriella and Troy were finding it difficult to live with each other at first. Don't worry, this is just the beginning of their troubles… -rubs hand together and cackles madly-**


	13. Unexpected Discovery

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I love you guys, seriously I do. Getting sick of me saying that yet?**

**readingfreak101 – You're the hundredth reviewer! Congrats, you get to name the older Bolton sister! If you don't want to name her, then the next reviewer **_**carito06**_** will get to name her. But why wouldn't you? ;)**

**CoCoPixie134 – Thank you! I love reading your reviews, seriously :) And the picture, hrmm, we-ll… we'll come to that later -grin-**

**JenniGirl1 – I don't think I'd want to see you not happy… -shudder- :P**

**Toxic Bubbles – Aww, you're making me blush -blushes- Don't slap yourself, seriously, I'm just glad you're enjoying the story :)**

**You're My Immortal – Good question… I dunno, are they? ;)**

**Lil-Evans – No, no, Gabriella is definitely unsure too… however, the previous chapter and this chapter are in Troy's point of view, because I think I was writing in Gabriella's point of view too often earlier. The next couple of chapters will be in her P.O.V. As to your other question… you'll get the answer in this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical. I could probably type this in my SLEEP now -grumble- **

* * *

CHAPTER TWELVE: Unexpected Discovery

Two weeks had passed since the newlyweds' honeymoon. They were now well settled in their new apartment, which was a wedding gift from Ryan to Troy. It had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and two bathrooms. Gabriella already felt at home and was often found curled up on a window seat overlooking the Manhattan skyline, typing busily away at her laptop. Troy almost felt jealous of the sleek black machine, wondering how it managed to occupy so much of her time. Seconds later he would feel stupid for feeling threatened by a _computer_.

Troy spent most of his time at home as well, since he had sprained his ankle in Albuquerque and could not go to the million and two practices that Ryan scheduled for the team, even when it wasn't even the season for basketball. Gabriella attended to him dutifully; massaging salves on his ankle when it hurt or buying his favourite foods – she had never been much of a help in the kitchen – but most of her time was dedicated to her laptop.

Her novel was coming along well, but besides that she had started writing short stories and hunting for magazine publishers who might accept them. She hadn't yet gotten paid for her stories, but all that mattered to her was that others were reading her stories across the country! Admittedly it wasn't quite like that, the only magazine that had accepted her stories was a small-time monthly one that was circulated around Manhattan only. That didn't stop her from buying every copy that held one of her stories and making a special place for them in her cupboard.

Troy would praise her every time he read one of her stories. He loved seeing her happy, her face flushed rose-red with achievement and her eyes shining with glee, like a small child having just raided the candy jar. But they didn't spend all that much time together – in fact, Gabriella didn't even sleep in the same bed as him. She used the excuse of being "uncomfortable" with another bedfellow after sleeping by herself for so long, but he was sure there was something more to her avoidance of sharing a bed with him. But he never pondered on it for long.

He brought up the subject of the lone picture of Gabriella holding a baby a few times, but every time she snapped at him and stalked off in a bad mood, so he eventually stopped. She was almost unbearable when she was upset – she would tap ferociously at her laptop and shout at it whenever her fingers hit the wrong key. She would avoid Troy completely and turn a deaf ear on his calls for food or water or medicine.

* * *

One day, Troy was at home by himself as Gabriella had gone out to meet up with Sharpay. The apartment was far uptown, and Troy had insisted that she quit her bank job. She had tried to look for a job closer to home, but so far had been unsuccessful. She hadn't seen Sharpay since the wedding and was eager to catch up with her, and so had arranged to meet her at a restaurant nearby. Troy felt crabby that she hadn't asked him beforehand, merely telling him in a roundabout way the previous night that he would be alone the next day before going to sleep. 

Troy woke up at eleven with the sun in his eyes. He groaned and sat up, testing his ankle as he did every morning. To his surprise, he found that the pain had reduced drastically. Suddenly joyful, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and applied pressure to the sprained ankle. A mild tremor of pain crept up his leg, but he suspected it was more from disuse of his feet than from the injury itself. Hauling himself upright with the help of the bed, he stretched his legs by walking up and down the room beside his bed, reveling in his freedom once more.

He had been wearing the same shirt for three days and it stank horribly. Making a face, he made his way towards the bathroom, occasionally holding on to furniture to support himself. He only paused to pull fresh clothes from his closet.

While unearthing a favourite pair of jeans, he noticed the corner of a piece of paper sticking out from under his shirts. Curious, he tugged at it, stopping when he heard a faint ripping sound. He carefully managed to extract the paper from underneath his clothes, only to find that it was a picture.

He studied it intently, shock temporarily freezing his limbs. It was a picture of a baby, less than a year old, with fine fuzz on its head and bright brown eyes. It had olive skin and thick wrists and fat cheeks. Altogether, it was simply adorable. But what shook him was the neat cursive writing at the bottom of the photo. It read "Alan Gregory Montez, aged nine months". The name swam in front of his eyes.

This was Gabriella's handwriting. But who in the world was Alan Gregory Montez? A cousin of hers? A distant relative? Troy peered closely at the picture, and his heart almost stopped.

There was a part of someone else in the picture. Someone who was holding the baby. That someone had long brown curls and slender brown hands. He could only see half of the person's face, but he would recognize her anywhere. It was Gabriella.

Blood roared in his ears. Did this have anything to do with the picture he had seen earlier? Of her holding a baby? Now that he thought about it, the resemblance between the two photos was uncanny. **(resemblance between two photos, weird huh?)** It was almost the picture, except this one was zoomed onto the infant, who looked half-asleep.

Why had Gabriella hidden this picture? Why in his closet? Had she thought it would have remained undetected there? He slowly entered the bathroom in a daze, sitting down on the lid covering the toilet. He continued to stare at the picture, his whirlwind of thoughts making his head ache.

* * *

**AN: Omg! Who saw that coming? I sure didn't!**

**So yes, more about that picture that I'm sure raised some suspicions. Will Troy confront Gabriella? What will she say? Or is it all some messed up dream? (I promise you it's not the last one)**

**Again, some more about how little Troy and Gabriella actually know about each other. The drama's slowly unfolding, but there are still more chapters to go before it reaches the climax… I'm not sure how long this story will be, to be honest, most probably 25-30ish chapters? Is that okay with you guys?**


	14. Breaking Point

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: The next chapter is here!**

**JenniGirl1 – I think you're the first person to guess about the picture! Yay you? Anyways, I love that line too, I think my entire FAMILY feels threatened by my computer… Haha, anyways, you'll be proved… erm, well, just keep reading -innocent smile- **

**xoxMusicalxox – Thank you! Yeah, Gabby does get pretty angry, doesn't she? Hrmm. Didn't plan that…**

**Lil-Evans – Thanks! I try to upload as soon as possible :) And maybe, maybe she does… ;) I'm glad you like the mystery, sometimes it gets to a point where even **_**I**_** don't know what's going on… yeah, weird, I know**

**jUztafAn – Fight, fight, fight! Ahaha, well, you'll get to see what happens between them… big fights are hard to write, though, at least for me. I'm not good with comebacks, so that makes it a bit tougher. A good fight always has good comebacks… right?**

**mars.x – Hmmhmm, does it, does it… well, you'll have to wait and find out :)**

**Toxic Bubbles – Hey, that's what a story's for, right? To keep the readers amused. And to pour out any locked up emotions that you're too scared to show the world… but, ah, that's besides the point...**

**xxxPrincessJololaxxx – I'm so glad to hear from you again :D Glad you're enjoying the story!**

**Disclaimer: Suuure, of COURSE I own High School Musical. And here's something for you since you asked. -hands over 'dunce' cap- **

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Breaking Point

Gabriella slipped into the silent apartment at five that evening, still breathless with laughter from one of Sharpay's departing jokes. She stopped at the door of the kitchen, seeing Troy standing there stonily. His hands were around a piece of paper. She smiled slightly, glad that he was up and about – no wonder she had never wanted to become a nurse, it was so tiring to take care of other people. Life was all about taking care of yourself, although having friends to help you along was always a nice thing.

She made a wry face at her mental wording; "nice thing" indeed! Giggling slightly, she stepped further into the kitchen, alerting Troy to her presence. He looked up from whatever he was clutching and gave her a brief smile. Gabriella tilted her head, surprised at the coldness of his greeting – usually she would get a wide smile or a "Hi Gabby" when she returned from somewhere. Troy was a sweet person, but Gabriella wasn't sure that saying "yes" to him had been her best idea.

He tried hard to ask her about her books and her interests, and genuinely seemed interested, but all he really knew about was basketball. The one or two times she had timidly broached the subject with him, his face had lit up and he had talked non-stop for at least half an hour. Gabriella fiddled with the silver chain she was wearing around her neck as she hesitantly smiled back at him. Troy's usually warm blue eyes were a cooler gray now.

"Gabriella. You're back." It was a statement, not a question, but she nodded anyways. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she watched him carefully, suddenly realizing how little she knew about his moods and his little mannerisms. Was the crease between his eyebrows from frustration, worry, anger or all three? Or something else? Was his body stance tense because of the small amount of space between them or because he was trying to control his emotions? She fidgeted with the ring on her finger, drawing Troy's eyes to it.

When she looked up to gauge the expression on his face, she saw his eyes fixed on her ring, an oddly tight smile stretching across his face. She wrinkled her nose slightly, clearing her throat. "Um. Hey. Glad to see your ankle's better."

Troy smirked faintly. "Yeah. Yeah, it's better." He ran a hand through his dirty blond hair, gesturing towards the hallway. "You know what, what I have to say will be better received if we sit down. How about the living room?"

Gabriella frowned. What he had to say? What _did_ he have to say? Confusion numbed her limbs for a second, and then she nodded again. "Yeah. Sure." She exited the kitchen first, moving towards the living room. She was comfortably curled up in an armchair by the time Troy got there, wincing slightly and clinging onto a nearby floor lamp for support. Gabriella blushed, wondering if she should have helped him. Well, it was too late for that now.

He took a seat on the couch next to her armchair, staring ahead expressionlessly. She prompted him with a small cough, which seemed to return him to the present. He jerked his head back and relaxed his hand muscles. She watched him curiously, wondering what he was going to say to her.

"I'm going to show you something, and I want you to tell me if you've ever seen it before." He spoke slowly, thinking out each word. Gabriella made a noise of consent and he turned, avoiding her gaze and extending the hand with the paper in it towards her. "Take it." His voice was low, but not angry. Or was it? Gabriella shifted uncomfortably and took the paper from him, turning it over.

Her face drained of all color. She stared at the picture, her heart throbbing at a million miles per hour. How had he found this? She had hidden it in his closet because she _knew_ men never checked their closets too closely. Or was he different? A silent groan came from her – had he managed to uncover something she wanted to keep hidden because she didn't know enough about him? Would she _ever_ know enough about him?

Troy watched her with a deadpan look on his face. "I was wondering about that picture," he said softly. "Could you tell me who that is, Gabriella? Why you're in the picture? Why it was hidden in _my_ closet?"

She set the photo down, her eyes losing their bright spark and matched his tone of voice. "I didn't really want to answer this, but I guess you deserve to know." Gabriella knew all about hiding her emotions and keeping the quaver out of her voice. "This… this is my brother. Alan Montez, as I'm sure you've already found out."

Troy frowned in confusion. Hadn't she told him that she was an only child? Seeing the puzzlement on his face, Gabriella continued in the same quiet voice, "I should say… w-was. Was my brother, Alan Montez."

She could see the shock on his face. Maybe he had only been upset that she had kept something from him, and had no idea of the vastness of the secret she had been keeping. Gabriella played with her wedding ring while she waited for Troy to say something.

"I… I didn't know." His voice was barely a whisper. Gabriella lowered her eyes to her clasped hands. "I… I was just… I mean, I was angry, Gabriella. I thought we were supposed to share everything with each other."

The hurt in his voice made her temper flare dangerously. "You know what? That's what's supposed to happen between a husband and wife, yes. But has it _ever_ occurred to you that we're not really husband and wife, Troy? Legally, we are, and we live in the same house. But I don't know_anything_ about you! I don't know those little things that spouses are supposed to know! _This isn't a normal marriage_. It's like… I don't know!"

Her words stung him deeply, especially since she had come so close to the truth. "Well, how am I supposed to know anything about you if you keep such important stuff hidden away, Gabriella?" he retorted. "You could have told me! I can understand, I have a sibling who's dying too…"

Her face was pale again as she shook with barely suppressed fury and grief. "You think that's what happened?" she whispered. "You think he _died_? He didn't die, Troy! But if he did, _I killed him!_"

She saw the blankness in his eyes. Her fingers played with the hem of her shirt as she struggled to contain her emotions. No one had ever seen her cry properly – not even her _mother_ had seen her cry. She would always keep it all inside until she could sneak away and weep in a corner. And Troy had seen her cry _twice_ before. She couldn't come unhinged in front of him again. She glared at him, narrowing her eyes fiercely.

"What… what do you mean?" he managed to ask. Her expression softened slightly.

"I… it's hard to explain," she replied awkwardly. "I-I shouldn't have said that." She ducked her head. "I'm… I'm not some manic killer, d-don't worry." She let out a faint laugh, but Troy's look did not change, and he didn't even crack a smile. "I…"

"Gabby." His voice was soft. He had been furious at her for keeping something so important from him, but all he could see now was a hurt girl in front of him that needed to be comforted. He got off the couch and came to kneel in front of her, taking her hand and tracing circles on his with his thumb. She flinched at the intimate gesture and pulled her hand away hurriedly.

"I…I was eleven. I didn't really know how to take care of a baby sibling… Alan was about a year old. I begged my mom to let me take him to the nearby park… you know, the one on Dogwood Road?" Troy nodded slowly. Gabriella felt her stomach clench painfully.

"It was close to home. My mom agreed… I was going to meet a friend there. My mom was going to come too, but then she was c-called away for something…" She took a deep breath. "So I took Alan alone. I thought I could handle it. I mean, how hard could it be?"

"But I messed up, I messed up really badly. My friend called me over as soon as we got there, and instead of taking Alan with me, I put him down on the nearest bench and ran over to her. We talked for so long, and I… I forgot about Alan. And when I turned back, he was gone."

"We searched the entire park, my friend and I. We couldn't find him. When I told my mother, she slapped me, and yelled at me… I know she didn't mean it, she was so shocked and upset, but… and… and we've been looking for him ever since, but we haven't found him. It's all my fault! I let my brother be kidnapped, or killed, or, or…"

And suddenly she couldn't control it anymore – she bent her head and let the tears fall, all the tears she had wanted to keep inside since that day twelve years ago. Troy's face was a mixture of shock and pity. He took her hand in his again and slowly pulled her towards him, letting her bury her head in the crook of his neck. Gabriella cried softly, wrapping her arms instinctively around the man before her, wanting to have something to hold on to. And that moment, she knew that even if the entire world spun out of balance, Troy would hold her in place. Maybe she knew him better than she thought she did. Maybe this _was_ a normal marriage. Maybe she could learn to love him.

* * *

**AN: So we get to see Gabriella break down this time. I was originally planning on having Alan dead, but I decided that was used too often and chose this instead. I know, it sounds totally unlikely, but Gabriella wasn't as practical and rational when she was eleven – very few of us are. Hopefully I've clarified that she wasn't too sure about the marriage either, but she's learning to love Troy. Can he learn to love her too? Hrmm, well, you'll just have to wait and see ;)**

**I noticed a lot of people thought that it was Gabriella's child – wow, I was really surprised! I never thought of that, honestly.**

**A small note – I may not be updating as regularly now, because I have school again(I had a week off earlier). Just to let you guys know. I'll try as hard as I can, though!**


	15. Falling In

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Chapter fourteen is herrrrrre!**

**JenniGirl1 – It was unexpected, wasn't it? I felt a lot for Gabriella while writing that…**

**mars.x – Yeah, he'd better! Unfortunately this chapter's in Gabriella' P.O.V, so we don't really know, do we?**

**mysupermanwillcome – Mmhmm, there is! Heyy, that'd make a… never mind –innocent smile-**

**CoCoPixie134 – Thanks for the ideas! You'll find out a bit about Sharpay in this chapter, and I'll try and include Chad, Ryan and the parents more often. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story :)**

**Disclaimer: I-D-O-N-O-T-O-W-N-H-I-G-H-S-C-H-O-O-L-M-U-S-I-C-A-L. Phew, that wasn't as easy as it looks… **

* * *

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Falling In

Gabriella started to warm to Troy from that day onwards. Somehow, he had made her feel safe and comforted, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She would try to smile at him every time she saw him, and greeted him frequently – even when he had just come from another room. Troy seemed to be alarmed at her sudden rush of affection at first, but soon found it more amusing than anything else and grinned at her when he entered the room, as if asking "Where's my 'hi'?"

He had asked her a few days after the 'incident', as she called it privately, why she didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him. Gabriella had been unnerved at the question. "I told you… I-I'm not really used to sleeping with someone else. I mean, my entire life, I've been… sleeping alone." She had tied her hair in a braid that day and tugged at it distractedly. "Could you imagine what it would have been like? Two people, thoroughly uncomfortable with each other, sleeping in the same bed?"

Troy had looked hurt and had replied softly, "I wasn't uncomfortable with you. And I'm still not." Gabriella had looked at her hands and blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry, I really am," she said sincerely. "I…I can try to get used to it." A smile played on her lips as she spoke the next words. "But if I keep you awake all night while tossing and turning, don't blame me, okay?"

Troy had thrown back his head and laughed. He had an amazing laugh.

It had been uncomfortable for the first few nights, but Gabriella had grown used to it. It was reassuring to feel the warmth of someone else sleeping next to her, to hear his soft, regular breathing. It lulled her to sleep now.

Gabriella had set aside her writing for now. Troy asked her once or twice why she wasn't working on her laptop, and each time her answer was a simple "don't feel like it". But she felt guilty for not getting to know Troy better, and wanted to concentrate on him and their relationship, which remained a brotherly-sisterly one - for the time being. They would eat in the kitchen every night, digging into the take-out boxes and occasionally flicking random pieces of food at each other. Her throat hurt for hours afterwards – rarely had she laughed so much.

Yet there was still a distance between them. Gabriella tried hard to bridge it, reading up on basketball and asking Troy questions about it. She knew he was trying too, because he asked her about her work and what books she liked reading, what was her current read, and so on. She truly appreciated his efforts, because she guessed how betrayed he must have felt earlier when he discovered that she had been keeping something so vital from him.

She really believed she could come to love him, if she was given enough time. After confessing to him about Alan, she had cried herself to sleep. Instead of closing the door to his room(they hadn't been sleeping in the same bed then), he had come to sit by her and stayed up almost the entire night, comforting her and whispering words of encouragement. If she had ever loved someone, it had been Troy at that time – he seemed to know what she was going through and knew the right words to say to her.

As the weeks passed by and the weather grew steadily colder, they grew warmer towards each other. Now that Troy's ankle was better, Gabriella would come with him for his practices. She would sit in the sidelines and watch proudly every time he scored a basket. He would look over at her every once in a while and wink, thrilling her from her toes to the roots of her hair.

She felt comfortable now with him holding her hand, hugging her and even dropping a kiss or two on her head or cheek. It felt so natural to snuggle up to him at night when a chilly breeze came through the window and made her shiver. The ring on her finger was no longer a token of false promise. It belonged there.

Gabriella even invited Sharpay over one day, when she knew Troy would be home. He laughed and chatted animatedly with the blonde, telling her of how her brother was a true slave driver and pushed the team to the limit. Sharpay seemed astounded to hear how her brother had transformed from a shy, meek teenager to a bold and confident basketball manager.

Gabriella watched her best friend and her husband interact freely and felt a glow of happiness. She sat in the armchair near the door of the living room – Troy referred to it as "Gabby's seat" – with her hands clasped and her eyes shining delightedly. The smile on her face changed to a horrified grimace as Sharpay launched into a tale of how Gabriella had managed to singe a basket of clothes while attempting to iron in her old apartment.

"Shar!" she protested, getting up. "That's just mean!" Sharpay grinned wickedly at her, brown eyes dancing in amusement.

"Oh come on now, Gabs, your husband needs to know what a fix he got himself into, marrying you…" she said slyly. Troy roared with laugher as Gabriella chased Sharpay around the apartment, shouting threats they both knew would never be put in action.

When Sharpay left, promising to return the next week, Gabriella sighed tiredly and flung herself onto the bed. "I hate that girl," she mumbled into the pillows, grinning slightly. Troy overheard her and came over to tickle her playfully.

"Oh, I could tell," he replied, amused at the face Gabriella made at him – a cross between "Stop it" and "I hate you too". She bit her lip before bursting into a helpless fit of giggles.

"T-t-troy s-s-s-stop," she squealed, hitting his chest in an attempt to make him let go. Troy grinned devilishly, looking down at her. His hands stopped poking her stomach and waist and were now on either side of her head. Gabriella tried to recover her breath and dignity as she lay on her back, breathing heavily. She smiled up at him, poking his nose playfully, which triggered a fake sneeze. She giggled and yawned, seeing the sky turning inky outside from the window behind Troy.

Her gaze returned to him, and she was struck by the depth of his eyes. As she studied his face, his eyes turned a darker blue, like they always did when he was thinking intently. A shiver ran through her body. And at that moment, transfixed by his sapphire gaze, Gabriella knew that she was falling in love with Troy Bolton.

* * *

**AN: Aww, so a little bit of fluff :D The drama will build up, never fear! This was a shorter chapter, and I apologize for it, but I couldn't add anything else to it, I really couldn't.**


	16. This Feeling

_I__t's the Real Thing_

**AN: You guys are SERIOUSLY AMAZING. 160 reviews for 15 chapters? I think I've died and gone to heaven… I love you all ♥♥♥**

**JenniGirl1 – Oh no, not the puppy dog pout… can't resist… must update!**

**xoxMusicalxox – Of course! I adore writing moments between Troy and Gabriella, they're just too cute :D**

**mysupermanwillcome – The answer's in this chapter! ;)**

**CoCoPixie134 – I'm sure you didn't write bad fluff! Ahaha, you should see some of the stuff I'd included in this chapter before cutting it out… as to your question, hrmm, I don't know. Will Troy tell her? I'll have to think about that… :P**

**mars.x – He'd better, I know! It's fun to have complete body and mind control of characters you love a lot :)**

**Disclaimer: High School Musical? Nooo way… otherwise I'd make it illegal to make Punjabi versions of the songs… I heard "All for One" in Punjabi yesterday and it was sca-ry! **

* * *

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: This Feeling

Troy looked down at the girl lying between his arms, suddenly feeling breathless. Pure instinct guided him to lower his head, placing his lips on hers gently. A sharp intake of breath came from Gabriella, but she soon wound her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, shivering slightly. He broke away a minute later, rolling over to lie on the bed next to her, his legs dangling down the side of the mattress.

She turned her head to look at him, her brown eyes questioning. He smiled faintly at her, stretching out an arm to pull her closer. She nestled into his side, quietly exhaling. "God, Troy…" Her voice shook. "I…"

"Sssh. It's okay, you don't need to say anything," he told her gently, poking her nose softly. A giggle came from her as she batted his hand away.

"_Stop_ it! I'm trying to talk to you seriously and you distract me!" Her tone was only half teasing. She raised her head, looking at him steadily.

"Troy… I, um…"

Again he pulled her down, tickling her playfully. "Relax, Gabby. You don't need to say it." A smile twitched at her lips but she struggled to keep it down. "_Troy!_" she squeaked indignantly. "Stop it!"

He relented, letting his arms drop to his sides. He sat up, kicking the air exuberantly, like a small child. He could feel Gabriella's eyes on him and knew she was smiling. He turned his head to meet her gaze, and the stern look in her eyes softened.

How had he managed to fall for her so unknowingly? It didn't matter, he supposed. All that he knew now was that he loved her laugh, loved her voice, loved her hair, loved _her_. He loved her. The thought made him oddly queasy. How had this happened so suddenly?

Or_was_ it suddenly? That day she had told him about Alan… all he had wanted to do was shelter her from the pain and wipe her tears away. His heart thumped painfully. This was the worst thing possible at the moment. They had just started being friends again, and he couldn't endanger that friendship. He wouldn't be able to bear her looking at him with shock and scorn written across her face, to shout at him that she didn't feel the same way, couldn't possibly feel the same way, how could he do this?

But would she even do that? Maybe she _did_ feel the same way? After all, she hadn't responded angrily when he had kissed her. But as he looked at her, Troy knew he couldn't risk it. She might have already picked it up from the kiss, but if she hadn't… it was better to keep these feelings hidden. So he returned her smile and slipped off the bed, padding towards the kitchen.

He heard a noise of protest come from her, and she quickly hopped off as well and trotted after him. "Hey! I wasn't done with you!"

He grinned lazily at her. "Oh yes you were," he replied, turning abruptly to poke her stomach. She squealed in alarm. His grin widened.

Gabriella frowned. "I want to know what that was about, Troy."

He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her eyes. "Look… I-I'm sorry. I know you must've been shocked, and you have complete right to smack me, or, or…"

She silenced him with a knowing look. "Troy! If I had wanted to slap you, I would have done it earlier. No, I just wanted to know why you did it." Her voice softened, and she looked vulnerable standing there, her clothes slightly wrinkled and her gaze confused.

"Ahhh…" He hated the question. "Umm. You know what, I'll tell you when I find out."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, slapping his arm lightly and overtaking him to head towards the kitchen. But Troy couldn't miss the look of hurt that had flashed through her brown eyes.

* * *

After that, things returned to normal. Troy insisted that she return to her writing – he knew that she loved it dearly, and couldn't quite understand why she had stopped. But when he saw her shamefaced look towards him, he understood immediately. She had stopped for him. 

The thought made him turn red. But now that he had almost _ordered_ her back to her writing, she spent three to four hours on her laptop once more, typing away happily. Sometimes Troy paused to watch her, the sunlight through the window highlighting her brown curls with gold, gilding the stray hairs that fell into her eyes.

It was a chilly late August day. Troy sat in the living room, attempting to read a newspaper but sneaking glances at Gabriella, who was tapping on the keyboard of her laptop. Somehow, she felt his eyes on him and looked up, meeting his gaze. She wrinkled her nose and poked out her tongue. Troy couldn't help but laugh at her childish gesture; it looked so strange and out-of-place, since Gabriella usually had an adult demeanor.

He set down the newspaper and wandered over. "How's the story going?" he asked casually, seating himself on a wooden chair near the window seat where Gabriella was working. She flashed him a quick smile and pressed some keys, closing the laptop.

"It's going okay…" she replied, stretching her arms. Troy cocked his head and studied her.

"You should try to find a proper publisher for your stories," he announced. Gabriella froze mid-stretch, looking at him in puzzlement.

"Um, Troy? This story isn't even _half_ finished…"

Troy grinned. "I wasn't talking about that one. What about your short stories? Why don't you like, compile them in a book or something?" He felt quite proud of himself for thinking of it. Gabriella's eyes sparkled.

"We-ll… maybe not them… but I had another long story I wrote some time ago…" She opened her laptop again, paused and then closed it once more. Troy looked blank.

"Where is it, if it's not in there?"

She laughed and got up, walking towards her closet. Troy immediately rose and followed her, curious about this other story. She rummaged through the contents of her cupboard, finally pulling out a crumpled, dog-eared bundle of papers.

Troy fixed his blue eyes on it, excitement welling inside of him. Gabriella handed the manuscript over and he took it reverently, looking at the title first of all. To his perplexity, there was none.

"Wait, so it doesn't have a title?" he asked, looking up from the story to Gabriella. She shook her head.

"I could never think of one. I guess that's why ten publishers rejected it." Her voice was soft but had a hard edge to it. "So I just gave up on it." She gestured to the papers in Troy's hand. "Why don't _you_ read it? You'd tell me what you honestly think of it, right?"

Troy smiled at her. "Sure." He flipped through the story, stopping at the last page with wide eyes.

"Three hundred and fifty pages! How did you manage to write _three hundred and fifty pages_?"

Gabriella flushed slightly. "Umm, well, it took me a couple of years," she admitted. "Like, three or four… I think I started it in college." But she smiled too, obviously thrilled with the note of astonishment in Troy's voice.

He grinned. "It'll take me some time to read it… but I promise you, I'll tell you what I think of it. And I'll help you find a publisher for it."

As Gabriella looked at him with shining eyes, Troy had to fight every muscle in his body that told him to lean forward and kiss her.

* * *

**AN: Who wishes Troy would just **_**tell**_** Gabriella? I do! But he has to be stubborn and keep it all to himself for the purpose of the story. Don't worry, it won't be long until one of them professes their love :) Well, personally, I didn't like this chapter. But then again, the only few chapters I really liked were chapters 9, 10 and 13... so yeah. Hope you enjoy!**


	17. Our Love is Forbidden

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Hey guys! I just wanted to point out something in this note.**

**I dunno if anyone else has noticed, but a lot of people seem to be saying "Give me -insert number- reviews and I'll update"… well, no offense to anyone who does that, but I find it unfair towards the readers... Just telling you guys that I will ****never**** do this.**

**mars.x – I love your reviews, they brighten my day :) Heehee, Troy's ear being twisted… makes him sound like a naughty five-year-old… -giggle-**

**xxxPrincessJololaxxx – Thanks:D That's very true, some chapters I imagine completely differently from how they come out…**

**Lil-Evans – Oooh, good luck with studying! I'm glad you liked the kiss, I liked it too :D**

**Minamahal – Ohh, you have no idea… -crafty grin-**

**xxxNaley forevaxxx – Don't kill me! -pitiful whimper- Did my helpless act work?**

**JenniGirl1 – Yay you're back :):)**

**HsmLuvver – Umm… read on…?**

**Disclaimer: Nope, no High School Musical ownership for me… I'll ask my mom for it for my birthday, though! (It's on Tuesday! Yay!) **

* * *

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Our Love is Forbidden

Troy settled himself down one afternoon to go through Gabriella's manuscript. She was out for the day, Sharpay managing to pull her away from the house and go gallivanting. He smiled at the numerous crossing-outs and circled sentences amidst the text. He began reading, losing himself in the story.

It was a detailed love story, set in a fantastic alternate universe. The girl lived in the modern-day world and was a part of a middle-class family. The boy, however, belonged to a fantasy world that was separated by a magical border. Somehow, the girl managed to slip past the border and landed up in the fantasy world, where she met the boy and instantly fell in love. But soon she grew homesick and longed to go home, so the boy tried to return with her. But he too longed for his home, and the two were separated for years, until a war broke out between the two worlds. They saw each other again and died trying to protect the other.

Troy was bawling unashamedly by the end of the story when he heard the doorbell ring. He hauled himself up to answer the door and was greeted by a beaming Gabriella, whose smile quickly slid off when she saw the tears on Troy's face. Looking alarmed, she reached up and wiped the tears away, her tone concerned as she asked, "W-what's wrong, Troy? What happened?"

He managed a grin at her. "Ohh, nothing… except this story of yours is so tragic…" he exclaimed melodramatically, placing one hand on his forehead. Gabriella looked like she was trying to hold in a laugh as she glared at him sternly.

"That's not funny, Troy! I was worried!" she snapped at him, crossing her arms. Troy immediately rearranged his features into an apologetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Gabby… but your story _is_ sad. It was beautiful, it really was, but the ending…" He looked down at the manuscript in his hands, and then looked back at her. "Have you written _all_ of your stories like this? Because of Alan?" he asked softly. The sparkle in her eyes faded and she suddenly looked years older.

She sighed and nodded slightly, gently pushing past him to enter the apartment. "Pretty much…" she whispered. "It's… it's been on my mind the entire time, Troy. All the time. No matter how I try to forget about it, I can't."

He looked at her kindly, drawing her close to envelop her in a hug. "Sssh, it's okay," he crooned in her ear. "It's okay." She didn't cry, however, and merely drew back after a few seconds, her eyes emotionless. He searched her brown gaze intently, and was surprised to find nothing there.

She smiled slightly at his baffled expression. "I've learned to keep my feelings hidden…" she murmured to him, startling him even further by reaching up and kissing his cheek. "I'm tired now, though. I'm gonna go take a nap." She shot a brief smile at him and moved towards the bedroom.

As Troy watched her go, he wondered about her story. Her grasp of the emotions was remarkable. He was no writing critic, but he was amazed to find that he could relate so well to the characters. Weren't they slightly like Gabriella and himself?

"Okay, stupid idea," he sighed. The characters were _nothing_ like them. For one, they loved each other – and though he knew he loved her, he didn't know if she felt the same way. Also, they lived in completely different worlds and couldn't relate to each other; it wasn't the same for them, they could relate… sometimes… occasionally… all right, rarely, but still. They _could_ relate. And in the end they had died for their love.

This thought, most of all, shook him. Was this a subconscious message from Gabriella? Was she saying that she wanted a man who would die for her? He scowled, shaking the thought out of his head. It was just a story… just a story. But he wondered – _would_ he die for Gabriella? Or for someone else?

He padded softly towards the bedroom, where he saw Gabriella stretched across the bed, fast asleep. Her right cheek lay on the coverlet and her face was turned towards the door. He gazed into her quiet, peaceful face, his breath catching in his throat. She was simply beautiful. Glancing down at the papers in his hand, he was suddenly determined to do something for her.

He rifled through his address book and stopped at one name – _Diamond Publications_. A friend of his from high school ran it, and he knew she would look closely at this story. Enclosing the papers in a big manila folder, he wrote the address of the publishing company in firm, bold letters. He crept out of the house and posted it, silently cheering. Wouldn't Gabriella be thrilled if it was published?

He returned to the apartment as the sun sank lower and the sky darkened. Troy sat on the edge of the bed, studying Gabriella intently. He had promised himself not to tell her how he felt… that was the best thing to do, wasn't it?

"Screw that," he muttered angrily. He stroked her curls gently, watching her shift slightly. She murmured something softly, and he leaned forward to try and catch it. The word made him freeze. "Troy". She had said his name.

He ran a finger down her cheek, closing his eyes. "I love you, Gabriella," he whispered quietly. He opened his eyes in time to see her eyelids flutter, and her mouth open in reply.

"I love you too," she mumbled, reaching up to touch his face before falling asleep once more.

* * *

**AN: Ahhh, short chapter, very sorry. But I really, really liked it! I don't know, what do you guys think? They finally confessed! Technically Gabriella's half-asleep, but still…**

**And what did you think of her story? I know it was sad, but it just shows how much Alan's loss has affected her, even so many years later. I hope you enjoyed!**


	18. So Right

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Here you guys go :) Ahead is more Troyella fluff! Warning: do not read if you have no stomach for mushy, soppy, sentimental writing.**

**Oh my… you GUYS! This is the BEST birthday present ever! I check in and see that I've got ****218 reviews!**** I LOVE YOU ALL COOKIES FOR EVERYONE :D:D**

**mars.x – I know how upset I'd be if a story I liked could only be updated after a certain number of reviews… I'd probably write a scathing PM or something. Ehehe. As to what he did to her story… well, that'll become clear in a couple more chapters…**

**Jg Rox – They won't die! I promise! I don't want to make this story sad :( So don't fret about that!**

**CoCoPixie134 – I'll try, thanks a lot for telling me :) Actually, I think you'll be surprised to find out who Troy's "publishing friend" is… ;)**

**Disclaimer: Nope, zip, nada, goose egg, zero… umm, any other way of saying "I don't own High School Musical"? Oh look, I just said it! **

* * *

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: So Right

Gabriella opened her eyes to see Troy looking down at her. Smiling sleepily up at him, she failed to notice the tender expression on his face until a few minutes later. Once she saw it clearly, she frowned in slight confusion, sitting up. Troy had always been sweet to her, but never before had she seen such a look on his face, certainly not directed towards her.

"Hey." Her voice was still slurred with sleep. She cleared her throat slightly and smiled again. Troy grinned softly back, reaching forward and enveloping her in a completely unexpected hug.

"I love you," he spoke against her hair, the words muffled. Yet they still sent a shiver down her spine. She pulled away in bewilderment, studying him closely. She noted the hurt that flashed through Troy's deep blue eyes, and how his face muscles tightened ever so slightly to give him a harder, stonier look.

"Whoa, wait. When… when did this happen?" she asked him timidly, folding her legs yoga-style and cocking her head. He sighed, rubbing his face with one hand.

"Umm. A couple of minutes ago… well, at least that was when I told you I loved you and you said the same." His voice was dull now. Gabriella's eyes widened. Had she subconsciously replied to him? Not that the reply wasn't true, of course… but… how in the_world _had he come to feel the same way?

She reached out and gently removed his hand from his face. His eyes were cast downwards, and the tips of his ears burned crimson. She cleared her throat again. "Sometimes," she began in a quiet voice, "the slumbering mind can express one's deepest desires."

She saw perplexity flit across his face at her words. Slowly, he raised his gaze to meet hers. She couldn't deny that she loved the sudden heat that spread through her. His eyes roamed across her face, as if wondering what the truth in her words were. She sat still, her own eyes now on her clasped hands.

"Does it, now?" he said softly, causing her to look up again. "Have I heard that phrase somewhere before?"

She grinned. "I don't think so. I made it up a couple of minutes ago."

He matched her smile and laughed, a soft sweet laugh that made the hair on the nape of her neck stand up. She scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. She felt his hand stroke her hair softly, felt him plant a kiss on her forehead. She tilted her head upwards to meet his gaze.

Later, she wasn't sure who leaned forward first. But all that mattered was that _someone_ did, and their lips met in a gentle, unhurried kiss.

It seemed like an eternity later when they broke apart. Gabriella was sure that her face was flushed rose-red, and she could see that Troy's ears were scarlet again. But when she met his eyes, she couldn't see red anymore – no, she was drowning in an ocean of blue.

"You know what?" Troy interrupted her thoughts, poking her side slightly to gain her attention. She squeaked in protest and pretended to glare at him.

"_What_?" she asked in a good imitation of an annoyed tone. Troy grinned at her.

"I'm glad you said yes."

She felt her insides melt as he continued to smile at her. A faint smile played on her lips. "I'm glad I said yes, too."

He wrapped her in a hug again, and they stayed that way for a while, both enjoying the presence of the other and neither wanting to let go.

* * *

Things snowballed after that evening. Gabriella could barely believe that the man who had treated her like a good friend or sister the week before was now calling her at random moments in the day just to tell her that he loved her. She felt herself grow red every time he did it, but she loved hearing his voice. Ryan and the team's coach had forbidden any outsiders from coming to practice, and unfortunately that meant the players' spouses as well. 

She planned to surprise him one evening after he came back from practice. She had learned some time ago that Troy's favourite type of food was Italian, and she took it up upon herself to cook him an entire Italian meal.

She had forgotten exactly _how_ bad she was at cooking. Finally, when the pasta was still undercooked after cooking it for God knew how long, she leaned against the kitchen counter and cried.

Why was it so difficult? All she wanted to do was show her (newfound, admittedly) love for her husband. _Why_ must cooking be so difficult? She sighed and picked up the tray of garlic bread, the only dish she hadn't ruined, and set it on the dining table. No amount of imagination could turn the lonely plate of bread into a sumptuous feast.

Tears were still streaming down her face when she heard the door creak open. Ignoring it, she stayed in her world of self-pity, blaming the kitchen utensils for hating her. She was so engrossed in finding reasons to hate cooking that she didn't hear Troy's concerned words - not until he put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

She turned in his arms and buried her face in his chest. The sobs stopped after a few minutes, and she pulled away to look at him with a watery smile on her face. He returned it weakly and wiped a few remaining tears away with the pad of his thumb.

"Hey… what's wrong?" he asked, sitting her down on a chair and studying her worriedly. "What happened?"

A throaty chuckle escaped her, and she started to fear she was going mad. Who laughed when their surprise for their husband had turned into a complete disaster? "I wanted to make you dinner," she explained. "But… this is all I managed." She waved her hand at the lone plate of garlic bread, tears threatening to spill over again.

To her surprise, Troy smiled. He took a seat next to her and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Gabby, Gabby, Gabby… it means so much to me that you made dinner for me." His voice was soft and sincere. "Hey. Look at me."

She raised her eyes to meet his and chewed on her lip. "But… it's… it's just garlic bread…"

"And I love garlic bread!" he reassured her. "Garlic bread is great. Really. But even if you made burnt salad, I wouldn't care. It's the thought that counts."

A faint grin crossed her face. "You sound like my fifth-grade teacher," she murmured. "That's what she said when I tried to paint her a picture on a rock… and, um, succeeded only in painting the entire thing blue before I gave up…"

"I should really meet that teacher of yours, then," he smiled. "She sounds awesome."

Gabriella laughed and stuck out her bottom lip. "More awesome than me?" she asked sweetly. Troy prodded her stomach playfully, causing her to giggle.

"No one's more awesome than you, Gabby," he grinned. "C'mon, let's attack that garlic bread!"

* * *

**AN: I loved this chapter! Personally, I felt it was really, really cute :D**

**This is just a note directed to anyone who's read my currently-oneshot**_**Invisible**_**. I was wondering if you want me to extend it into a twoshot, with the second part being from Troy's perspective? Cause the story really depresses me and I want to make it happier… but I'm just not sure. Feedback please?**


	19. Writing Woes

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Chapter eighteen! Yay! I think I'm gonna love this chapter… why? You'll see ;) Be prepared for a touch of drama, nothing too much. That'll start in a couple of chapters -wicked grin- **

**mysupermanwillcome – I don't think it's ready for commitment, sorry... :(  
**

**Toxic Bubbles – Ehh, yeah. It's downright weird. I mean, I'm proud of my languages and everything, but, um, HSM in Punjabi is scarier than you know o.o Tamil would've been scarier though, merely because I understand **_**nothing**_** of Tamil… ehehe…**

**HsmLuvver – I dunno, I'll probably make this about 25-30 chapters… probably the latter, cause the climax is actually yet to come! -gasp- I know, right?**

**JenniGirl1 – I wanna steal him too. Let's conspire to spirit him away all for ourselves! -mwahaha- Okay, crazy moment over**

**Disclaimer: ………… Does the silence speak for itself? **

* * *

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Writing Woes

A dark-skinned woman of twenty-four pulled open the door of her office with a massive sigh. It was always the same thing; millions of manuscripts came in, with people almost _pleading_ for her to publish their works. Admittedly there were quite a few promising writers, and she always sent word to a writer if she thought their story had the potential to become a published book, but the company hadn't published a hit in ages. She was worried that Diamond Publications would soon go out of business.

A fat manila folder sat on her desk. For a moment she groaned, but then she spotted the return address and frowned. Troy Bolton was a good friend of hers, they went back to high school, but why would he be sending her anything? She knew Troy was far from a writer, and the folder's contents were far too thick for just a letter. Curiosity got the better of her and she sat down in her chair, opening the folder carefully.

A tired looking manuscript fell out of it, along with a short note. She recognized Troy's firm, loopy handwriting on the note and appraised the bundle of papers for a moment before picking up the hurriedly scribbled note.

"Dear Tay," it read, "this is a story written by my wife, Gabriella." Taylor McKessie gaped at the word "wife", mouthing it silently to herself, before continuing to read. "I read it and it's a really good story in my opinion, but it's been rejected quite a few times and she gave up hope. Please check it out and call me if it's good enough for your company to publish? Love, Troy."

Taylor reread the note, but nothing had changed. Deciding to tackle the manuscript instead of hunt for hidden meanings in her friend's note, she picked up the worn bundle and scanned the first page. A frown of disapproval creased her forehead as she saw the story had no name. Untitled stories were usually the sign of an amateur writer… but Troy had seen something in the story. He wasn't a professional writer or anything, but if the story had touched him, it was worth reading. She settled down deeper into her chair and immersed herself in the story…

* * *

Troy and Gabriella were cuddled up on the couch when his phone rang. He groaned, picking it up from the side table and glancing at the caller ID. Gabriella made a sleepy sound of protest as her head shifted on his shoulder. He kissed her softly on the forehead as he rose. "Sorry Gabby, I need to take this call," he explained. She nodded and closed her eyes, curling up on the sofa. He smiled at her before walking into their bedroom and accepting the call. 

"Hey Tay!" His voice was bright and cheery. "Did you get my note?"

A wry laugh sounded from the other end. "Oh, I got it all right, Troy. I'm still wiping away tears from that story! It was _so_ powerful… but so sad. Can't your wife write happier stuff? Speaking of which, when did you get married and why wasn't I invited?"

Troy laughed uneasily. "Um, you know what, long story. But, anyways, it was good? Gabby's story was good?"

"Good? It was _phenomenal_, Troy! I loved it! Beautiful writing, good usage of words, an even flow… original plot… except the ending bit. I'd like to talk to Gabriella about that, but otherwise it was great!"

Troy's heart pounded excitedly. "I'll tell her to call you, and you can fix up a meeting or whatever! Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, sure. Talk to you later, Troy." With that, she hung up.

He was positively hopping up and down as he reentered the living room. "I have something to tell you, Gabby," he announced. Gabriella sat up and blinked, cocking her head.

"Shoot," she smiled, crossing her legs underneath her and looking attentively at him. Troy shifted from foot to foot, suddenly nervous.

"You know that story of yours? The, um, nameless one you showed me?"

Gabriella looked confused. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, I, ah, have a friend who's a publisher. I sent it to her, and she loved it! Your book can get published, Gabby!"

With every one of his words, her brown eyes grew wider and wider. He wasn't sure if she was happy or shocked. Finally, she exploded.

"_Troy Bolton!_ WHAT WERE YOU THINKING OF??" she shrieked, getting off the sofa and slapping his arm. "Did it ever _occur_ to you that I would _mind_ you going behind my back to give my story to some publisher?" She was getting hysterical now. "What if she only likes it because she's your friend? Did _that_ occur to you?"

Troy merely looked dumbstruck. "But… she said she loved it… it was phenomenal, 'phenomenal', Gabby. Except the end part, she wants you to rewrite that," he blurted out.

Gabriella's eyes almost popped out of her head. "_Rewrite it_? I can't _rewrite_ part of my story, Troy!"

He was feeling angry now. He had thought she'd be over the moon, but she was standing in front of him, blowing him up. He quickly retorted with, "I don't see how it's so hard! Make them live happily ever after!"

"Arghh!' She let out a frustrated sound. "You can't _do_ that, Troy, it ruins the entire story! But I wouldn't expect _you_ to know! Writing's different from basketball, you actually need_brains_ for it!"

He saw her face pale as the words escaped her mouth. Gabriella stood frozen, chewing her lip as if intending to tear it off her face. Unexpectedly she turned and ran, heading towards the bedroom.

Troy followed her, immediately feeling ashamed of himself. He should have asked her permission, or something… but he had had no idea that she would have reacted like this. He found her curled up on the bed she had slept in for the first couple of months of their marriage, not crying but staring stonily ahead.

Troy knelt beside her. "I-I'm sorry, Gabby." His voice was quiet, but he knew she could hear him. "I… I thought you'd be happy. Your book can get published! You can finally have your dream! I just wanted to help… that's all…"

She sighed softly. "Oh Troy… I know I overreacted… I'm sorry, but… writing is sacred to me. You have to understand that. And I felt so upset when you told me your friend wants me to rewrite my ending. I can't do that. Every story is like a child to me, and I can't just _change_ it at the drop of a hat. Can you understand that?"

He nodded solemnly. "I'll try," he promised, rising and seating himself on the edge of the bed. He tried not to laugh as he saw the funny side of her words. "But, um, if every story of yours is a child… I think we're gonna be eaten out of house and home."

A smile tugged at the edge of her lips. "That's not funny," she scolded, contradicting herself as she grinned at him. He returned the smile and leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed almost inaudibly. Troy grinned to himself and poked her stomach, causing her to break away with an indignant squeal.

"That's not _fair!_ Are you going to keep doing that?" she whined, crossing her arms and pouting at him. He responded by kissing her again.

"Of course not," he whispered against her lips, stroking her cheek tenderly. "It's just fun to see you squirm."

He could feel her smile as she kissed him back, and the argument was forgotten.

* * *

**AN: Who saw Taylor coming in there? Hehe, I debated for the LONGEST time whether or not to bring her in, and finally decided YES, I need Taylor in this story!**

**So a little spat between the two. A lot of you might think Gabriella overreacted... to be honest, that's how _I'd_ feel if someone went behind my back to publish a book of mine... (not that that's happening anytime soon, eh) So, um, have fun! Next chapter - the parents are coming to visit! -drumroll-**

**Side note: a lot of you said I should make _Invisible_ a twoshot. I'll try! I'm not sure if I can actually make it _happier_, but I will put up a chapter on how Troy feels about everything. Warning - it might be a bit confusing, I'm not exactly sure what goes through a guy's mind... so yeah...  
**


	20. The Family Comes A Visiting

It's the Real Thing

AN: Here you guys are! This might be the last chapter for some time; I hope it satisfies you all!

**Disclaimer: No, no High School Musical for me… my childhood has been ruined -cries- (If you don't understand, don't fret, it's kinda a private joke between a couple of friends and me… but it makes me giggle so I added it here) **

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN: The Family Comes A-Visiting

Troy was sitting on the window seat, listening to the radio and Gabriella's humming along with the music as she organized the kitchen, when the phone rang. Years later, he wouldn't be sure if he was grateful or if he wished the stupid thing had never existed.

He reluctantly pulled himself from the warm winter sunshine as he searched for the house phone, his movements becoming increasingly frantic as it continued to ring shrilly from an unknown location. Finally he pulled apart the window seat to discover the phone sitting under the pillows. Thank God he hadn't sat on it. He answered it quickly and hoped he didn't sound too out of breath.

"Troy!" came the excited bellow from the other end. He winced and held the phone at an arm's length for a moment before returning it to his ear.

"Hi Dad," he said weakly. "Good to hear from you."

"Oh, I could say the same! Tell me, why haven't you called your mother or me? It's been about five months since you married, eh, been busy?" Troy made a face, hearing his father's knowing voice and picturing his smirk.

"Yeah, but not in that way… that's _disgusting_, Dad," he retorted. Mr. Bolton let out a good-natured chuckle.

"It's natural. Anyways, we called to give you news! The entire family is coming to visit you for your birthday! The Montezes too!"

Troy's eyes lit up. It _had_ been a while since he had seen his family, and he missed them fiercely. "Even Hailey?" he asked cautiously. He could hear a pause on the other end, but his father's reply was jovial enough.

"Even Hailey. She's doing better, son."

"Yeah, well, better isn't good enough sometimes," Troy muttered. Before Mr. Bolton could reply, he added a hurried, "Great Dad, can't wait to see you all!" and hung up.

He attempted to rearrange the window seat into some semblance of its earlier glory but gave up, deciding to ask Gabriella to do it later. He was about to enter the kitchen to tell her about the news when he heard a new song start on the radio. Gabriella was singing along with it.

I'll always remember

_It was late afternoon_

_It lasted forever_

_And ended too soon, yeah_

_You were all by yourself_

_Staring up at a dark gray sky_

_I was changed_

_In places no one would find_

_All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)_

_It was then that I realized_

_That forever was in your eyes_

_The moment I saw you cry_

He listened, enchanted, as the song continued. When Gabriella drew in a deep breath and the radio announced, "And that was…" he started to clap softly.

She turned around, her cheeks crimson. "Oh…" she managed to choke out quietly. "Um. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't…"

He interrupted her. "Gabby, chill. You have a beautiful voice." He smiled warmly. "I've never heard you sing before!"

She stopped wiping the wet dishes and looked at her slipper-clad feet, her entire face slowly turning red. "I, um, don't sing too often…"

He reached out and pulled her closer to him, ignoring her muffled protests of 'I've got a china plate in my hands, Troy!' and kissed her chocolate curls. "I love you," he mumbled. He felt her relax in his grip and heard her murmur "I love you too" before pulling away, a glint in her dark eyes.

"Now, I need to finish these dishes," she said sweetly, dragging the towel across the surface of the snow-white place in a circular path. Troy grinned teasingly.

"Your dishes come before your husband, _Mrs. Troy Bolton?_" he inquired, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his chin on her shoulder. She giggled softly, placing the now-dry plate on the counter and turning.

"You_know_ that tickles," she complained, trying to hide her grin. He lowered his face and kissed her softly on her lips.

"Yeah, I do," he answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "So?" She smacked him playfully on the arm.

"Hey!" he protested, stepping back and rubbing his arm with a mock-upset expression. "That _hurt!_" he whined, proffering his arm to her. "Kiss it?"

"In your dreams, Bolton," she laughed. He chuckled and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Hey, guess what? The family's coming for the 21st!" Her lips curved into a wide smile before she flung her arms around him, snuggling into his chest.

"That's fantastic! My parents too?"

"Yeah." He squeezed her gently before pulling away. "We'd best get the house ready." His smile was almost as big as hers, and his cheeks were starting to hurt.

Her face fell. "How are we supposed to fit so many people in here?" she asked with a soft sigh, crossing her arms. Troy frowned, seeing the truth in her words.

"Um, okay, let's see. Mom and Dad can sleep in our bed, your parents can have the other room, and Hal will probably fit in with Mom and Dad… Cath isn't going to stay with us, I think she and her husband will probably get a hotel nearby or something… and you and I can cuddle up on the floor."

She clapped her hands together. "Brilliant!" she said, dropping a kiss on his cheek before becoming serious again. "I'll go look for the extra comforters and the two spare mattresses for you and me…" Her eyes sparkling with purpose, she slipped past him and marched towards the hall closet.

He watched her go with a soft look in his eyes. "That's _my_ wife," he told himself proudly.

* * *

One week and six days later, Troy was driving home with four parents and one little sister in the car. Gabriella had stayed at home – most probably to organize his birthday surprise, Troy guessed with a private grin. It was the evening of the 20th of December, and he knew she had already bought him presents and was trying to bake a cake. He could smell her attempts every time he was within five feet of the kitchen – they smelled acrid and burnt. She would probably end up buying one tomorrow. 

He loved that he knew his wife so well now. It made him wonder if the bachelors of the world knew what they were missing. He could interpret almost every one of her little facial expressions, and he adored her little quirks, like her getting up every morning and rolling to and fro on the bed a few times before she got out of bed, or her habit of rubbing her upper lip when frustrated.

Mr. Bolton chatted amiably, trying to fill the comfortable silence in the car. Eventually, when no one else offered to join him, he too fell quiet. Troy shot a sideways grin at his father, who was sitting in the front seat next to him.

He pulled up in front of their flat and asked everyone to get out while he parked the car. As the family congregated on the sidewalk, he drove towards the apartment garage and parked the car comfortably before ambling back to his family. He picked Hailey up and swung her around a few times before setting her down with a smile, and greeted his parents and in-laws with a smile. His older sister, Catherine Parks, hadn't been able to come; she was expecting her second child and, being six months along, decided that travelling at the time wasn't a good idea. Troy hadn't seen his older sister in _years_ and wondered how she was doing.

Mrs. Montez and Mrs. Bolton were first up the stairs, talking to each other excitedly. Their husbands followed them, arguing about a recent basketball match and what So-and-so should have done instead of what he actually did. Hailey kept her hand in Troy's, clasping it in a viselike grip. Troy winced slightly but ignored it otherwise.

Gabriella was at the door, smelling faintly of chocolate frosting, and greeted everyone with a bright beam. She paid special attention to Hailey and took her from Troy, seating her in the most comfortable seat of the living room – "Gabby's seat". Troy loved seeing his sister and wife interact, because they seemed to understand each other deeply. He wondered what it would have been like if Alan hadn't gone 'missing'… would Gabriella have been a devoted sister to him as well? He knew his answer was a firm 'yes'.

Mrs. Montez sighed happily as she saw Troy and Gabriella take the last seats on a loveseat, casting shy glances at each other. "You two are _too cute_," she gushed, sounding like a seventeen-year-old. Gabriella blushed, while Troy scratched his ear and pretended to ignore his mother-in-law's words.

"So, um, how's everyone doing?" he asked awkwardly, gesturing to the five guests. Hailey replied first, her voice quiet but audible and her brilliant cobalt eyes gleaming animatedly.

"I'm doing pretty okay. The hospital let me out a few weeks ago, so I'm allowed to travel and stay at home." She smiled at her brother and sister-in-law. "Although even if they _hadn't_ let me out, I would've come anyways. I can't miss my brother's twenty-sixth birthday!"

The uncomfortable silence that had prevailed after Hailey's mention of the hospital quickly dissipated as the elder adults roared in laughter and Gabriella smiled gently at Hailey. Troy shifted slightly, his ears glowing red.

"Um, Mr. and Mrs. Montez?"

"Oh, we're doing just fine, son," Mr. Montez replied happily. "We're so relieved we managed to find someone _else_ to handle our wild Ella." He winked at his daughter, who grinned playfully back.

"Oh yes Daddy, I'm sure you were _so-o_ glad to get me off your back," she teased. Mr. Montez held up his hands as if to admit defeat.

"All right, so we've missed her terribly. But we know that you've been taking good care of her Troy, look how happy she looks!" And it was true – Gabriella was positively glowing with contentment as she sank back in the loveseat, smiling at Troy.

"Really, this is just too perfect," Mrs. Bolton spoke up. "You two are like any other married couple! It's _so_ sweet to see how you've bonded. We were so worried when we started to plan it all… at least I was… but you two have really fallen in love! It makes me so happy that we arranged your marriage!"

* * *

AN: Who hates me for ending it here? ;) Isn't Mrs. Bolton so insensitive? Well, I'm sorry dear readers, but I don't think I'll update till next Tuesday or so… please bear with me, there's gonna be a lot going on. But I'll try to update if I can! In the meantime, enjoy! Remember – muffins for whoever guesses the song and the artist! They're blueberry this time! 


	21. Tragedy Brought Us Closer

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Sooo I'm back! I'm not dead! And here's the promised chapter! It should be pretty dramatic, so hope you like :)**

**Anyways, the song in the last chapter was indeed **_**Cry**_** by Mandy Moore, as many of you guessed. But I have extras, so MUFFINS FOR ALLLL -flings into the air-**

**Disclaimer: What part of N-O do you not understand? **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY: Tragedy Brought Us Closer

Gabriella frowned a little at Mrs. Bolton's words, imagining that she had misheard the woman. "Um, excuse me Mrs. Bolton," she spoke up politely. "What did you just say?" Her voice had a slight edge to it that bordered on anger.

Mrs. Bolton transferred her gaze to Mrs. Montez, a surprised look on her face. "You mean you didn't tell her, Sienna?" Mrs. Montez's hazel eyes were wide with anxiety.

"Ella… please… it was the best for you…" her mother pleaded lamely, wringing her hands. Gabriella turned slowly to look Troy full in the face.

"Did you know about this?" she asked quietly, dangerously. Troy swallowed a few times before finding his voice, his blue eyes soft as they met her hardened gaze.

"Gabs… look, yes, I did." She didn't let him proceed further before lifting herself off the sofa, her eyes blazing with anger. Her chestnut curls framed her face, but instead of making her look sweeter and softer, the almost raven locks lent a stony, cold look to her beautiful face.

"So all those things you said… at the wedding… that was a lie?"

"Yes." Troy's eyes widened in horror as he clapped a hand over his mouth. "I mean no, no, it's all true Gabby, you're amazing, you really are…"

"I've been lied to by my entire family and my husband." A hoarse, humourless laugh escaped her. "Wow. Just… wow. What can I say?_Why the hell didn't you tell me?_" she screamed at him, her cheeks flushed with rage. "Did it ever occur to you that I might want to know this little tidbit of information? That you married me not because you immediately fell in love with me, but because you're a mommy's boy?"

He sprang to his feet, his eyes darkening angrily. "Don't you _dare_ say anything about my mother, Gabriella!" he shouted. "Yes, dammit, I married you because I was told you. But that's changed! Can't you _see_ that, or are you blind as well as mindless?"

She flinched away from his words but soon recovered, drawing herself up and standing on her toes to shove her face into his. "How do I know everything else you've done since then hasn't been a lie, too?" she hissed.

"It's_not a lie!_ Gabriella Anna Bolton, I love you! But I'm starting to wonder why! You're self-centered, you don't care about anyone else being unhappy, you're just concerned with your own pain! Did it ever occur to _you_ that I hated this arranged marriage as much as you do now? I hated lying to you, despite the fact that you were a complete stranger! Do you think I _want_ you to hate me?"

"Maybe you do!" she yelled, grasping him by the shoulders and shaking him so fiercely that his head snapped backwards in surprise. He pulled away from her grip, massaging his neck slightly before he retaliated.

"Pray tell me how you came to that conclusion?" His words dripped with sarcasm, which infuriated her even further. The parents were watching their children in astonished silence, too stunned to say anything. Hailey, however, had an oddly blank look in her eyes and her gaze was unfocused even while her head was facing the fighting couple. Gabriella glanced away from Troy to try and come up with an excuse when she saw the girl's still body and her vacant eyes.

"Troy!" she whispered, darting away from his husband to kneel beside the girl. She gently placed a finger to her wrist and was relieved to feel a feeble pulse. Troy's anger too had disappeared as he saw his motionless sister, her face paler than usual and her body twitching in minute spasms. "Dear God…" Gabriella murmured, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Mr. Bolton! Please call an ambulance!"

Mr. Bolton hurried to his feet and looked around wildly for the nearest telephone, snatching it off the coffee table in the middle of the room. Troy gently pushed Gabriella aside and picked up his sister in his arms, cradling her as her head lolled against his chest. His wife stood beside him, stroking the unconscious girl's auburn hair away from her eyes and pressing kisses to her forehead.

"Please, please let her be all right…" Gabriella muttered. In the short amount of time she had known Hailey, she had grown to love her deeply, almost like a sister. Or a daughter, she thought silently. Mrs. Bolton was also on her feet and held Hailey's hand in a viselike grip, whispering incoherently. Gabriella moved away from them to stand beside her parents, who had averted their eyes from the family's pain.

"Look." Her voice was quiet. "Look at them. There's nothing to be ashamed of, sharing grief. We've been through the same thing."

Mrs. Montez looked at her daughter with tear-glazed eyes, pulling her into her lap and hugging her close. "Oh Gabriella… we… you… Alan…"

She stiffened slightly at the mention of her brother but warmly hugged her mother back. "Sssh. It's okay… we should help Hailey now."

Gabriella gently untangled herself from her mother's arms and trotted after the retreating backs of the Boltons, who were going downstairs to wait for the ambulance. However much she felt like an intruder on their private grief, like her parents, she needed to be with them. With Hailey. With Troy.

She wasn't ashamed of her reaction to Mrs. Bolton's news - far from it. She was proud of her outburst, because she _was_ upset about Troy hiding something so important to both of them and to their relationship from her. But she didn't hate Troy, and she didn't want to hate him. She would rather jump off the Empire State Building than admit it, but she really loved him, and she knew he loved her. Their marriage might have been arranged, but now – now it was the real thing.

Two hours later found the Bolton family, plus Gabriella, sitting in a white hallway on hard white chairs made of plastic that smelled strongly of disinfectant. Gabriella played nervously with her fingers while Troy had his eyes closed and his face tilted upwards. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton were huddled together, holding each other for comfort.

The smooth swish of a door closing behind someone prompted Gabriella to open her eyes. A male surgeon, dressed fully in white with his mask hanging from his neck, stood in front of the four despairing persons. His voice was deep and gravelling, but oddly comforting.

"Miss Bolton has merely suffered some stress-related problems. Nothing too serious, I assure you, and nothing to do with her…" he paused as if trying to find the right word, "_illness_. She's sleeping right now, but she should be fine tomorrow afternoon. You're welcome to pick her up then – but I'd suggest you don't let her do anything that will remotely stress her. Another such incident and she might slip into a coma."

Gabriella bit her lip and tasted salty blood in her mouth as she gazed at Troy in relief. Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, however, were frowning slightly. She looked at them curiously, deciding to speak.

"What's the matter?"

Mr. Bolton sighed. "Well, Hailey was absolutely terrified when we were flying over here. I'm not sure how, but she seems to have a fear of airplanes as of a few months ago. She was absolutely fine before this da - " he stopped at a sharp glance from Mrs. Bolton and hastily backtracked, "before this sickness took over her. I don't think we'll be able to take her back to Albuquerque with us."

Troy's eyes were shining as Gabriella snuck a glance at him. "She could stay with us," she offered, folding her hands in her lap to stop her nervous fidgeting. "We do have an extra bedroom, and I don't mind at all… I'm sure Troy doesn't either." One look at the aforementioned man was all it took for the worried parents. They nodded in approval and breathed more easily.

It was well into Troy's birthday when the young couple excused themselves. Satisfied that Hailey would be fine, Troy drove himself and Gabriella home to meet up with the Montezes and reassure them that nothing was wrong.

Gabriella calmed her sobbing mother while her father talked to Troy in a hushed tone. Mr. and Mrs. Montez soon left for the hospital themselves, promising to call with regular updates.

Gabriella watched Troy flop onto their bed and groan. "This is so not how I imagined _any_ of my birthdays to be," he murmured tiredly. She seated herself on the edge of the bed and shrugged slightly, not bothering to reply verbally. She almost _heard_ his shoulders slump in defeat.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked quietly, reaching out to take the hand that rested beside her body. She drew it away from him and placed it on her lap, her back to him. Again, she didn't deign to respond. His heavy sigh almost shook the bed they were on.

"Look, Gabby. I really am sorry. I know our parents started it all, but I really do love you now, so much that you'll never know." He managed to catch one of her curls in his hand and tugged on it gently. She turned quickly and yanked her hair out of his grasp, her voice icy as she addressed him.

"I don't know why you kept something so important from me."

A defeated look crept across his face. "To be honest, I don't know either," he admitted, lowering his eyes to his hands, which now lay motionless on the comforter. "I guess I thought you'd hate me."

She softened. "I could never hate you, Troy. Not even if I tried."

He grinned slightly. "So you've tried to hate me before?" he joked, poking her knee with one finger. She slapped his hand away, folding her arms and scowling lightly at him.

"Not funny, Troy William Bolton! I'm tired right now. I'm going to go to sleep," she announced with an almost childish air. Curling up on the bed, she rested her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. She heard another sigh from him as he shifted on the bed, readjusting himself to sleep as well.

* * *

It was dusk when she awoke. She cast a glance at him, feeling sympathy well up inside her. "You shouldn't have had to spend your birthday like this," she whispered to his sleeping form. "Worrying about your sister, having your wife mad at you, sleeping almost the entire day away…" He stirred and opened his eyes, looking her straight in the face. Her expression hardened slightly as she moved to get off the bed. He reached for her hand and prevented her from moving. 

"I love you Gabby…" he murmured softly. "I really do."

Her expression didn't soften. "Prove it," she muttered angrily. Troy's eyes darkened until they were almost black.

"Prove it?" he echoed quietly. She nodded, narrowing her eyes at him. "How do you want me to prove it?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I just need to know that you love me unconditionally and you'll never let me down." She knew she sounded whining and demanding, but she needed comfort. She had twelve years to make up for.

Troy sat up and pulled her close, kissing her on the lips. "I'll do just that," he murmured against the softness of her lips.

And so they spent one perfect night together.

* * *

**AN: Very slight implication there! I'm not very good at graphic scenes or anything, I feel uncomfortable with that sort of stuff, so that's all you'll get. But it's very important, so don't miss out that last line! I hope I didn't disappoint anyone!**


	22. A 'Friendly' Visit

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Here's another chapter for everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Hailey Bolton and Catherine Bolton-Parks **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: A 'Friendly' Visit

His alarm beeped annoyingly in his ear, and he barely managed to hold himself from reaching out and knocking it off the bedside table, just to silence its incessant shrill. He groaned as it went off again, reluctantly opening his eyes. He found Gabriella nestled in his arms, her breathing even and steady as she slumbered on. He smiled at her still form, gently kissing her shoulder before slipping out of bed to shower and put on some clothes. He had an early morning practice to attend, and then a game.

He scribbled a note to her and placed it on his pillow before dashing out, his still-wet hair flopping into his eyes as he raced down the staircase, praying that he wouldn't be late. Troy breathed a sigh of relief as the rented car, courtesy of Ryan, pulled up in front of the building just as he exited the doors. He almost yanked the door of the sleek black car off in his haste to get inside and get to the practice as soon as possible – he didn't want to sit through another one of the coach's lectures on how punctuality was very important, etc etc.

He grinned to himself as he pictured Gabriella reading his note. He spent the rest of the ride daydreaming about her.

* * *

Gabriella stirred as late-morning sunshine invaded the room. Sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes as she groggily concluded that Troy was indeed gone. Her suspicions were confirmed as she saw the note lying on his pillow – she picked it up and read it carefully. 

_My dear wife,_ it started – she couldn't help but giggle at the salutation – _I have an early practice and game to attend, and as much as I'd like to spend the rest of the day with you, Ryan will kill me if I don't show up – and I don't think you want to be a widow so soon. Just tell security that you're my wife and show them the signature on this. You'd better be there for the game, at least! Love always, Troy_

She shook her head despairingly. Of course, he'd forgotten that today was the day that Hailey was coming to live with them… "How typical," she muttered, but clutched the paper in her hand and smiled inwardly. Sighing, she hopped out of bed and headed for the bathroom, pausing to pull out an outfit from the closet.

When she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a pair of light blue jeans and a long-sleeved dark blue Eastern shirt that had silver embroidery around the neckline and the hem, which fell halfway down her thigh**(this is called a **_**kurti**_**, if anyone's interested in looking up a picture!)**. Her brown curls were slightly damp and tied back in a low ponytail that nestled comfortably down the back of her shirt. Hugging herself to ward off the cold that was penetrating the apartment by means of an open window in the living room, she glanced at the clock and nearly screamed in surprise. It read 12:15, which meant that she had all of forty-five minutes to pick up Hailey and bring her to Troy's game, which was being held half an hour away. A desperate groan escaped her as she quickly slipped her sock-clad feet into a pair of black flats and she gripped the house keys tightly in her hand, only stopping to close the offensive window as she ran out of the apartment.

* * *

Forty-five minutes of frantic hailing for a cab, arguing with the doctors and an amused Hailey soon found them inside a packed high school gym, where the game was being held. Gabriella clutched Hailey's hand and smiled reassuringly at the youngster, who was already looking healthier. A faint rose had stained Hailey's cheeks, and she waved a red-and-white pennant enthusiastically while shouting, "Gooooo Wildcats!" **(I don't know any basketball teams so I'm just borrowing the EHS team name)**

The brunette woman trained her eyes on the basketball court, where the teams were slowly gathering. She immediately spotted Troy's shaggy head and beamed with pleasure as he turned to the audience, instinctively seeking her out. She waved her free hand at him and mouthed a "Good luck", to which he replied with a wink, a smile and a thumbs-up.

She had never known much about basketball, despite reading up on it earlier to try and engage Troy in conversation when they were only a few months into married life, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was up with the rest of the crowd, roaring happily along every time the red-and-white clad players got the ball, period. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement as she saw Troy, skillfully maneuvering the orange sphere, approach the opponent's basket as time ticked away. Hailey was screaming elatedly next to her, jumping up and down and flailing her banner. The Wildcats were ahead, but only by one point. She saw the opposing team take possession of the ball and dribble it across the court, slowly and inexorably drawing closer to the basket. Her heart leaped to her throat as the tall, lanky player released the ball into the air. It bounced on the rim of the basket, rolled, and fell off. At that exact moment, the buzzer signaling the end of the game went off.

The audience went wild, stomping their feet and waving their hands in the air, yelling delightedly the entire time. Gabriella felt tears of happiness prick her eyes as she sat down slowly, watching Hailey screaming with the rest of them. She took the younger girl's hand and pulled her down gently, whispering, "Don't exert yourself. Relax." The auburn-haired girl shot her a sheepish look, and then grinned – her smile was an exact replica of her brother's.

"Wasn't that _amazing_???" she giggled, clapping her hands together like an excited two-year-old. "The way that guy missed the basket! Just… wow!"

Gabriella smiled. "Yeah, wow," she agreed, squeezing Hailey's hand gently. "C'mon, let's go get Troy before he drowns in the sea of media." The other girl giggled again, the image of her brother being ambushed by various reporters amusing her greatly.

Gabriella fought her way through the throng and neared the team dressing room. However, she was then stopped by a burly security guard, his arms folded across his chest. "You're not allowed in there," he spoke gruffly, his cold emotionless eyes boring into her brown ones. She was about to retort furiously when a voice rang out behind the hefty man.

"You must be Gabriella! And that would be little Hailey; come in, come in," the cheery voice spoke out as a fair-haired man stepped out from the dressing room. He smiled quickly at the guard. "Ahh, faithful Alexander. It's quite all right; these two lovely ladies are family of Mr. Bolton." He turned his blue-gray gaze back to Gabriella and Hailey, his smile widening. "It's _so_nice to finally meet you, Gabriella, you have no idea _how_ my sister talks about you…"

She grinned easily. "Oh, I assure you, I talk about her much more often," she joked, tugging Hailey's hand gently as they slipped past Alexander and into the dressing room. Thankfully they waited in a small foyer and not in the dressing room itself. Gabriella turned back to the man she presumed to be Ryan Evans and smiled again.

"Congratulations on the win," she said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I've never been to a basketball match before, but it was awesome!" She winced slightly at her childish choice of words, but Ryan laughed good-naturedly.

"It's great, managing a team with a couple of old friends on it," he replied, affection clear in his voice. "It's almost like high school, except I'm not the drama geek – I'm finally the jock!" At Gabriella's skeptical eyebrow raise, he backtracked and added, "Well, at least I'm in close proximity with the jocks, right?"

She giggled. "Of course you are," she said. "Any chance I can drag out that husband of mine before the media starts swarming? I'd like to make it home with my head _and_ reputation intact."

Ryan grimaced. "Yeah, they're a pain, aren't they? Still, we've all gotten used to them… I guess it's harder on you. Hold on, I'll just go get him." He entered the next room, and Gabriella could clearly hear him yell, "Troy William Bolton! Wife alert!"

She stifled a snort with the back of her hand as Troy emerged from the room, his hair messy and his blue eyes alight.

"Gabby!" He picked her up and swung her around, grinning exultantly. She laughed, clinging to his neck.

"Troy, put me down," she scolded. "I'm feeling dizzy!" An embarrassed look crossed his face as he set her down, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry."

She slapped him gently on the arm. "It's okay. _But_, you did manage to forget that today was the day we were supposed to pick up your _sister_!"

Horror flashed across his face. "Oh no, Hailey! I totally forgot, do you think she'll be okay, I hope she's…" His words trailed off as he saw the young girl laughing behind Gabriella. He pasted on a mock scowl and swooped down on her, tickling her mercilessly.

"Troy! Stop it, she's still not totally okay," Gabriella cried, attempting to tug her husband off his sister. Troy immediately stopped tickling Hailey, frowning slightly.

"I forgot… sorry, Hal."

She shrugged slightly. "It's okay. You seem to be saying that a lot today," she grinned, poking him on the stomach. Troy let out a sound of protest.

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, Gabby, Ryan wanted to ask if some of the gang could come over? He's going to bring Chad, Zeke, Kelsi and Taylor… and Sharpay, of course." His eyes twinkled. "Is that okay?"

He winced, clapping his hands over his ears at Gabriella's excited squeal. "I haven't seen Sharpay in _so long_! Oh, of course, I'd love to meet your friends too, it'll be so much fun…" She skipped out of the dressing room, suddenly seeming like an overly enthusiastic toddler.

Troy looked after her in disbelief. "She's really something, huh," he murmured.

"Yeah, she is," Hailey agreed.

* * *

The Bolton apartment was full of laughter as eight people sat in the living room, talking amiably like they had known each other for years. Well, Gabriella and Sharpay had, and so had Chad, Troy, Ryan, Zeke, Kelsi and Taylor. Gabriella had questioned Sharpay as to why she and Ryan had gone to different schools, and she had only replied with a shrug. For a while, Gabriella was cross at her friend – imagine if she and Troy had meet in high school! They could have had so many more years together… 

Her thoughts were interrupted as Taylor directed her next words to her. "So, Gabriella! I read your story and I _loved_ it. It's such powerful writing. But I just wanted to talk to you about the ending bit…"

Gabriella fought to restrain a cold smile and made her tone warmer than needed. "I know, Troy told me. But Taylor, I'm sorry… I-I can't. I can't change the ending; I'd have to rewrite the entire story. There are sad endings out there, can't mine be one of them?"

Taylor softened at the pleading look in Gabriella's brown eyes. "You're right, of course. I was just worried because sad endings don't really sell as well as happy endings do, but who knows? Listen, I'll call you and we can meet up for coffee and discuss the details, shall we?"

"Actually, I'm more of a tea person," Gabriella grinned, evoking a laugh from Chad. The dark-skinned man turned to Troy, smiling widely.

"Dude, your wife is so awesome. Does she have a sister?" he joked, earning a slap from Taylor, who was sitting next to him.

"Smooth move, Danforth," she said acidly, wrinkling her nose at him. "How_insensitive_."

Kelsi laughed at the indignant look on Chad's face and buried deeper into Ryan's side. He smiled warmly down at his fiancée, kissing her ear gently. Sharpay giggled, waving her hands in the air. "Whoa whoa whoa, cut down on the PDA, please," she laughed. Her brother merely shot her a look before wrapping his arm more tightly around the brunette.

Gabriella rested her head in the crook of Troy's neck, enjoying the warmth his body lent to hers. She smiled sleepily at the other six, noticing how lost Sharpay and Zeke were looking – everyone else was either being lovey-dovey or arguing, in Taylor and Chad's case. She grinned slightly at her blonde friend, and earned a glare in return.

Sharpay stood up first. "Well, as great as this has been," she began, "I think I have to go. We've been here for a while, and I really don't want to travel halfway across New York City in the dark… so I'm going to say goodbye." She smiled warmly at everyone and waved slightly. "Ta-ta!"

Sharpay was soon followed by Zeke, who was followed by Taylor and Chad, still bickering, who were finally followed by a clearly smitten Ryan and Kelsi. Troy and Gabriella saw their friends off with a faint feeling of despondency; their home suddenly seemed very empty. Gabriella yawned, kissing Troy's neck gently.

"I'm gonna go to bed," she mumbled. "I'm tired." Troy brushed away some curls from her face and smiled softly.

"I think I'll follow suit. I hope Hailey didn't wake up with all the noise we were making," he joked. Gabriella giggled slightly before heading for the bedroom, promptly flinging herself onto the bed and falling asleep. Troy lay beside her for a while, studying her features in the moonlight, before he too succumbed to slumber.

* * *

**AN: My longest chapter yet! -dance- All for you spectacular readers. I'm hoping to update **_**Love Songs**_** soon, and you might have an update of this by Sunday… I'm not promising anything, though! Next chapter's a very important one; we skip ahead by about a month…**

**By the way, I have an idea for a challenge, but I'm not sure if I should post it. Would anyone be interested in a challenge? Hint – it involves a diary**


	23. Her Eyes

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Oh my gosh! 347 reviews for 22 chapters? Have I mentioned recently how much I love you guys? Well there you go! I looooove you all!**

**I'm not sure if I'm going to like this chapter or the next. Big question is, will _you_ like this chapter or the next?**

**Disclaimer: Ummm… I own Gabriella's story? Pshh, I know, how does that compare to High School Musical, right?**

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Her Eyes

Gabriella drove slowly in the tiny garage of their apartment building, clutching the steering wheel with an iron grip and pasting an unconvincing smile on her face. Troy placed one of his own hands on hers, gently prying her fingers from the wheel. "Gabby, you've got to relax," he told her sternly. "Chances are you're not going to drive too often, because Ryan's strangely fond of sending cars for us, but in an emergency or something…"

Her eyes widened in horror. "What kind of emergency?" she demanded, a nervous quaver to her voice. "Like if you go for a game and you're not back the next day, like if you're run over by some crazy drunk guy, like if you're bleeding away on the sidewalk…" She was getting hysterical, her breath coming out in pants. Troy groaned silently and reminded himself to never bring up the word 'emergency' when Gabriella was panicky.

"No, no… Gabriella, please calm down," he begged. She stopped her frantic rambling to look at him oddly.

"You… you called me Gabriella…" she said, a hint of hurt in her voice. Troy froze, grinding his teeth together anxiously.

"Yeah… Gabriella… Gabby… just… concentrate, would you?" he pleaded. She suddenly looked furious, a few brown strands of hair falling into her eyes as she shook with rage.

"_No!_ I won't concentrate, Troy William Bolton!" she exploded. "I don't want to learn how to drive! I'll just hail a cab, or walk, for goodness' sake! It's better for the environment, anyways!" She yanked open the door and stormed out of the garage, leaving a running car and a husband who wondered vaguely how she'd gone from being worried about driving to angry at him for not using his nickname for her.

He leaned across and turned the ignition off, withdrawing the key and pocketing it. It wasn't like Gabriella to be so panicked, nor was it like her to walk off in a sudden huff. She had been acting strange for a week or so, and he was concerned about her. Deciding to see how her mood was before suggesting anything, he strolled towards the entrance, soon entering the apartment.

He found his wife curled up next to Hailey in the latter's bed, talking quietly. Troy retreated silently – it would just inflame Gabriella's anger further if he interrupted her girl-to-girl talk with his sister. Sighing tiredly, he proceeded to throw himself onto their bed, mentally thanking whoever had invented feather-stuffed mattresses. He felt his weary body relax when it came in contact with the soft bed, and he appreciated the coolness of the coverlet. Lying there with his forehead on the quilt, he failed to hear Gabriella enter until she sat down next to him. He rolled to face her, noting the remorse in her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, Troy," she started sincerely. "I didn't mean to blow up at you. But it's just so _hard_ to learn how to drive a car." Tears rose in her eyes and he winced inwardly. He hated to see her cry. He propped himself up on one elbow and reached out with the other hand, comfortingly stroking her arm.

"It's okay, Gabs," he said gently. "I know you're frazzled, heck, I'm pretty worn out too. But driving a car is something you might need to do here, considering Ryan's not going to send a car for us for every single occasion." He smiled proudly as she let out a half-hiccup, half-laugh. He'd worry about her constant mood swings later.

Gabriella managed a stronger smile, watching his blue eyes lightening with pleasure at her laugh. She lay back, clasping Troy's hand in her own. "Why are you so forgiving?" she murmured curiously, turning to face him. His eyes darkened slightly at her question.

"I'd do anything for you, Gabby," he replied. "You know that." His free hand pulled her closer, caressing her brown curls. "I love you." He watched her eyes flicker before she kissed him gently.

"I love you too," she whispered as she pulled away. "But you already knew that."

He grinned at her. "Doesn't make it any less pleasant to hear," he joked, holding her tight. "You know what? I'm actually glad my parents interfered with my life. Maybe I won't blame them if they do it in the future – I mean, without them, I may have never met you."

She laughed softly. "That's true." A wide smile crossed her face. "By the way, Hailey's so much better now! After just a month, she's bouncing around like she's never been sick in her life." Troy smiled happily at this news. He always felt strange seeing his sister in a bed, because she was so active. Before her illness, she hadn't shut up unless someone asked her repetitively or shoved a sock into her mouth. She hadn't stopped moving unless she wore herself out or someone tied her to a chair. It seemed simply unnatural for her to be confined to a bed.

He kissed her forehead softly, feeling her stir a little. "I'm going to go to the doctor's tomorrow," she muttered. "This stomach flu isn't going away and it's driving me crazy." Troy nodded into her hair.

"That's a good idea. You've had it for a while, it's supposed to go away after a couple of days."

"Yeah. Like I said, I'll go tomorrow morning, while you're at practice."

He tapped her nose gently, making her giggle softly. "Do you want me to ask Ryan to send a car for you?"

She grinned. "That'd be great. But I'd appreciate a normal car… a limo's just a waste of parking space."

Laughter bubbled in his throat. "All right, I'll inform him." He kissed her gently on the lips. "Go to sleep, I can tell you're tired."

He heard a small sound of agreement from her before she fell asleep.

* * *

Gabriella stepped out of the bright green car Ryan had sent, mentally reminding herself to have a 'talk' with him the next time she saw him. She walked towards the hospital's automatic sliding glass doors, playing with her fingers as she took a seat in the waiting room. There were three other people there – a middle-aged woman who seemed to be just fine(but who knew? She herself was looking 'just fine' at the moment), an older man who was wheezing dreadfully and an even older woman who looked like she could pass away any moment. Gabriella stared at the last, hoping that the woman wasn't in a hurry to get to heaven(or hell). 

Forty-three minutes later, her name was called. "Gabriella Bolton?" a nurse proclaimed politely. Gabriella got to her feet, walking towards her. She was led down an immaculate hallway to a door with the number '208' on the front in gold.

"Doctor Barnes is ready to see you," the nurse said kindly. "I believe you have some sort of stomach infection?" When Gabriella nodded, the nurse patted her shoulder sympathetically. "They seem to be going around… well, go on in."

Gabriella entered hesitantly, only to be greeted by a smiling-faced lady of about thirty-five. "Hello there, Gabriella," Doctor Barnes stated cheerfully. "The nurse tells me you're having problems with your stomach?"

Gabriella nodded. "I've been getting sick and vomiting a bit during the past week or so… I mean, I'd heard of the stomach flu going around and thought that that's what it was. But it hasn't gone away, and I've, um, missed my time of month, too. I mean, it could be a couple of days late, I guess, but…" She trailed off, an idea occurring to her. But she kept silent, not wanting to give voice to the biggest hope she'd ever had.

Doctor Barnes nodded slightly. "All right, I'm going to take a couple of tests. Nothing that will hurt, I promise!" Gabriella laughed uneasily along with the pretty blonde doctor as she bustled about. She retreated after the tests were done, presumably to check Gabriella's blood sample – thought why she had needed a blood sample for a stomach problem, she didn't know.

The doctor returned with a bright beam on her face. "All I can say is… congratulations, Mrs. Bolton!"

Gabriella's mind took some time to register the words. Her eyes widened with excitement as she asked in a shaking voice, "R-really?"

"Really!" the doctor grinned happily. "There's nothing wrong with you at all, everything seems to be fine. I'd suggest you come back every two weeks or so, I'll give you the number of another doctor…"

Gabriella rode home in a daze, her insides squirming with happiness. How would Troy react?

* * *

Troy was already home when his wife returned from her appointment. He sat up on the bed and greeted her with a smile and a loving kiss. The first thing he noticed about her, however, was her eyes. They were shining vividly, as if they contained millions of galaxies of stars in their depths. Gabriella's lips were quivering ever so slightly, and he grew alarmed. 

"Gabby? What did the doctor say?" he prodded gently, taking her hand in both of his. He saw tears rise in her eyes and spill onto her cheeks, yet she was smiling widely. He wasn't sure whether to be worried or not. Was she losing her sanity?

Gabriella clutched his hands, beaming through her tears. "The doctor… oh, Troy, I'm so happy!" she gushed. He cocked his head to one side, urging her to continue.

"What did they say? Did they give you some medicine for your stomach?"

She shook her head, her brilliant eyes meeting his. "No, no, nothing like that." He saw her take a deep breath and utter two words that shocked him beyond belief.

"Troy, I'm pregnant."

* * *

**AN: So, a lot of you saw that coming! I didn't like this chapter too much; I pictured it differently than it came out… but oh well! The important thing is whether you all liked it! Troy's reaction will come up in the next chapter :) Unfortunately it may only come up next week, I have my piano exam on Friday… so anyways! Enjoy!**


	24. I Thought We Had Something Special!

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I just finished reading **_**The Amber Spyglass**_** by Philip Pullman, and now I'm crying. It's such a beautiful trilogy! I tried reading it a couple of years back but found it boring… but now…**

**Anyways! Thank you for all the 'good luck's for my piano exam, I really appreciate it :) You get a chapter before it, but I have a feeling you'll hate me after you read this… why? Find out ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical… but I can dream, can't I? **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: 'I Thought We Had Something Special!'

Troy stood perfectly still as he looked at his wife, her bright sparkling eyes staring up into his as she beamed happily, her cheeks flushed crimson. He noticed her tears had slowed down, and knew that she was waiting for his surprised yet happy exclamation. Still he remained silent.

Gabriella sensed something wrong with him and ventured to ask hesitantly, "Troy? Are… I mean, aren't you… happy?" Her voice was timid yet hopeful, and her gaze was too much for him to bear. He turned his head sharply, hearing an intake of breath from her.

"W-what's wrong?"

He clenched his teeth, sudden anger washing over him. "What's wrong, Gabriella?" he echoed quietly, almost _feeling_ her wince at his usage of her full name. "What's wrong is I can't have a baby. I can't be a father, dammit! I'm not ready, and there's my career to consider…"

"Excuse me?" Her voice cracked as she shook with barely suppressed incredulity. "_Excuse me?_ What do you mean, your career? What's wrong with your _image_ if you have a baby?" she demanded, stepping into his line of vision again. "Huh?"

"Look, it's complicated, all right! I don't think the media even knows you're my wife!" he yelled at her. She froze, her dark eyes wide with disbelief.

"What do they think _this_ is, then?" she hissed, shoving her hands into his face – her wedding and engagement rings shone brightly on her tanned fingers. Troy bit his lip; he hadn't meant to go this far. But if she wanted to, then fine.

"They think they're promise rings, or just normal rings. It's pretty common for women to wear diamond or even gold promise rings," he told her coolly. She dropped her hands, flexing her fingers as if itching to get them around his throat.

"Troy, promise rings are for _high schoolers_. I don't think the media could have just _assumed_ they were promise rings!" she shouted at him.

He swallowed. "You're right, they didn't just assume," he replied evenly. "I told them."

Her eyes, previously narrowed with suspicion, flew wide open with shock. He could almost feel the hurt coming off her body in giant waves. She took a step back, and then another.

"You're ashamed to call me your wife." Her voice was low, but he could hear every word clearly, and they struck him like dagger blows. He staggered a bit, clutching the headboard of the bed to maintain his balance.

"Gabby… no… I wasn't ready…" he implored. "Just… just, look, can't you get an abortion?"

She looked as if he had suggested she kill herself. "_Get an abortion?_" she repeated slowly. "Get an abortion? Troy Bolton, I am NOT getting an abortion! This is _my_ child growing in my stomach, and if you don't want him or her, then that's YOUR problem. And if you're not ready to tell the world that I'm your wife, that's your problem as well!" Her right hand clenched and unclenched, and he watched her face warily.

"Gabby… I'm… I'm not ready to be a father," he pleaded with her. Her eyes were still bright, but with anger and – was it possible? – a bit of hatred.

"If you're not ready to be a father, _get ready_. For goodness' sake, Troy, you knew this was possible! Did you know that I've always wanted to have a big family? Three, four kids running around, yelling loudly… oh Troy," here her gaze softened, "I can't kill this baby inside me. I love it so much already… so, so much…"

He hated the look on her face – hated the fact that she loved her unborn baby so much. More than she loved him, he presumed bitterly. Rage swelled inside him again, and he was helpless to control it.

"Gabriella," he said loudly, "either give me your word that you will get an abortion, or get out."

Her look nearly broke his heart in two. It was a look of utter astonishment, as if she thought he was going to laugh and say, "Fooled you!" any moment. She even waited for a few heartbeats, imagining that he would withdraw his ultimatum. But nothing came from him.

She lowered her eyes from his, speaking in a shaking, passionate voice. "Ever since… ever since I lost Alan," she said quietly, "I've always wanted a child. I missed out so much on Alan's life, Troy! His first steps… his first words… his first real smile… his first day of school… his first scolding… his first crush… his first heartbreak… sometimes I can't bear it. I can't bear that_I_ deprived him of all of that. And this baby… it's almost like a chance to change, to repent. Except it's so much more, because it's_mine_, it's my baby that I made with the man I loved."

The last straw was hearing her use the past tense. Inwardly he was ashamed of himself – her words struck home, and he remembered how much he loved Hailey and how he had watched, fascinated, when she had first tried to walk. But these thoughts were buried under another roiling wave of anger.

"Get out." His voice was cold and emotionless. "I'll give you an hour to pack your things. Then I want you to get out of my house and never come back." He didn't know where these words were coming from, but he felt a sense of vindictive pleasure, saying them to her now. She instinctively placed a hand on her stomach, watching him through eyes veiled with tears.

"I thought we had something special! I thought you understood me!" she whispered with the voice of one who had been cheated of something dear.

"Well, you thought wrong, didn't you?" Again, the words shot out before he could control them, and again he felt a small flicker of sadistic pleasure, watching her flinch and attempt to hide her tears.

"All right," she said in a faintly choked voice. "All right." She turned towards their closet, unearthing a small suitcase and not bothering to be tidy as she flung her clothes into it. His heart broke even further when he saw that she was packing none of the clothes he had bought her. Then came her books, and small pieces of jewelry and memorabilia that were evidently important to her. The last thing to be placed in the deep rose suitcase was her precious laptop – she wrapped it in layers of her clothes, making sure that it was cushioned and protected. He watched her, frozen by her silence and his own remorse, which had started to build ever since he delivered his ultimatum.

It didn't take her much more than forty minutes. Finally, she turned back to him, her voice steady and her eyes hardened to mask her pain. "Why didn't you tell the media you were married?" she asked quietly. "So that you could have fan girls still jumping over you? Are you really ashamed of me?"

"N-no," he stuttered. "I was just… it was all so new, so foreign… don't go, I didn't mean it… Gabby…"

"You're not allowed to call me Gabby anymore." Those words hurt him far more than the slap she delivered purposefully on his left cheek after them. She picked up her suitcase and rolled it down the hallway, heading for the door. She dropped her copy of the house keys by the sideboard, almost carelessly, but he could see how her hands were shaking. He watched her go, his cheek still red and stinging, and the sound of her slamming the front door of what used to be _their_ apartment left a jagged, bleeding hole in his soul.

* * *

**AN: I know Troy's a butthead, but this was ACTUALLY my original plan all along – to have Gabriella pregnant, and Troy not ready to be a father and eventually causing her to leave the house. Worry not, I'm a true Troyella fan and this IS going to end up a Troyella! I'm not sure how many more chapters will be left, but a good number, hopefully five to seven. I've still got things up my sleeve, ho yes I do! Hate me yet?**


	25. Cry

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: One more for you guys! I don't like this one much ;( But I LOVE you all, so I had to put it up! Sadly the wait for the next one might be a tad bit longer. Sorry. :(**

**Disclaimer: D'you think Santa manufactures High School Musical's in his North Pole factory? Do you think he'd give me one? **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Cry

Gabriella walked silently down the sidewalk, wheeling her rose suitcase behind her, tears dripping down her cheeks in a rather unbecoming manner. She continued to wander blindly, not noticing or caring that she was in a pair of indoor slippers that exposed her feet to the icy January winds of New York, nor that her feet were steadily developing some sort of a callus, having not walked so much in some time. She was brought sharply out of her sorrowful reverie when a loud, familiar voice called her name.

"GABS! Oh my goodness, I was just coming to see you," Sharpay exclaimed, clambering out of her hot pink car, Taylor exiting from the passenger seat. "What happened? Why do you have that suitcase? Why are you crying?" her friend inquired anxiously. Taylor, however, merely opened her arms, and Gabriella fell into her offered embrace, loud sobs escaping her.

"T-troy… p-p-pregnant…" was all she could choke out before succumbing to a fresh wave of tears. Sharpay cast a glance at Taylor.

"Did she just say Troy's pregnant…?" she whispered, not being able to suppress a giggle at the thought, despite her best friend weeping brokenheartedly. Taylor frowned over Gabriella's shuddering form, mouthing, "now's not the best time!" to the blonde. Sharpay immediately clicked into a more serious drive.

"Gabs," she said gently, "are you pregnant?" A tremulous 'yes' came from the weak, limp bundle in Taylor's arms. Sharpay stroked her friend's hair tenderly, maternal instincts rising inside her.

"Right," she decided, "Gabby's going to come stay with me." She didn't notice how Gabriella stiffened at the nickname. "Obviously she and Troy have gotten into a big fight, and she's left… stress plus pregnant woman is not a good combination." Taylor raised a sarcastic eyebrow. "She needs to cool off and probably have some gal time with us. No telling Troy where she is, agreed?" The dark-skinned girl nodded solemnly.

"Poor baby," she whispered tenderly as she stroked the younger girl's dark curls. **(Remember, Taylor was in Troy's classes so she's two years older than Gabriella. Not sure if I mentioned it, but Sharpay is ALSO two years older than Gabriella) **

* * *

Troy stared blankly at the dark brown door, made of oak and some other wood that smelled faintly fragrant. The enormity of what had just happened was slowly sinking in, and he placed one hand on the sideboard and the other over his eyes, hiding his tears from the world. Suddenly not wanting to be where Gabriella had so recently been, he moved towards Hailey's room, wanting to seek solace in his always-understanding younger sister. 

Hailey's eyes opened as he entered the room. She sat up quietly, beckoning him to sit on the edge of the bed. Troy bit his lip, wondering how to explain to her that the girl she'd loved like a sister was… gone.

"Gabby left." Hailey pronounced this in an emotionless voice, studying him carefully. Troy widened his eyes in surprise, cocking his head to one side. "I heard you two," she replied to his unanswered question quietly. His shoulders slumped, and once again she saw misery overtake his features.

"That wasn't smart of you, Troy," she reprimanded him lightly. "She was so happy! You guys are having a _baby_, for goodness' sake. Isn't that a happy thing?"

Troy paused to wonder how Hailey somehow seemed older. He answered her slowly, choosing his words circumspectly. "It's just… I don't know if I'm ready to be a dad, Hal," he said honestly. "It's such a big leap. A year ago… I'd never dreamed of even being married, let alone my wife expecting a baby! It was so… so sudden. And… and…" He clenched his hands desperately. "She was just so happy, and it's like she was _ordering_ me to be happy too… and I just couldn't be, Hal, I couldn't!"

Hailey didn't retort with a sharp comment. That was what he loved so much about his sister; she was never hasty and weighed every word others spoke. Her reply came a few minutes later.

"Did you really not tell the media about you guys?"

Troy winced. "Of course I told them! I wouldn't hide her for anything, Hailey, I'm so proud of her, I want everyone to know she's mine… I… I love her," he confessed quietly, looking down at his interlaced fingers. Hailey reached out and wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, placing a childishly wet kiss on his cheek.

"Why are you telling me, when you should tell her?"

"I told her. A long time ago, and a lot of times since then. But I guess I cancelled out all of that today…"

Hailey uttered a short snort of laughter. "Yeah, I'd agree with that," she giggled softly, but stopped as she saw the frustrated look on her brother's face. She bit her lip softly and apologized quietly, but Troy brushed aside her apology.

"How do I get her back, Hal?"

This question startled Hailey, and she couldn't answer for a few minutes. When she finally replied, it wasn't the answer Troy wanted. "I don't know."

Troy closed his eyes and silently lowered his head onto her lap. Hailey cradled his head as he wept freely, his entire body shaking with remorse and pain.

* * *

Gabriella woke up from what seemed like an eternity of sleep in Sharpay's apartment. She blinked her eyes in confusion, sitting up to see Taylor and Sharpay looking at her worriedly. She smiled weakly at them, her hands jumping to her stomach to massage it slightly. Taylor sighed in relief, rushing to her side and hugging her tightly. 

"Oh sweetie… I'm _so_ glad you're okay," she whispered in her ear. Gabriella blinked again, her mind strangely devoid of recent memories.

"Why am I here? What happened?" she said softly, gently detangling herself from Taylor's arms. Sharpay came to sit on the bed, her brown eyes anxious.

"We found you with a packed suitcase, running away from home," she started. "You said something about 'Troy' and 'pregnant'… you're pregnant, aren't you, Gabs?"

The memories came back in a sickening rush. The brunette nodded timidly, flinching as she remembered Troy's cold, deadpan voice. "He told me to get out," she whispered. "He didn't want the baby. He doesn't want to be a father." She started to cry again, rocking herself on the big queen-sized bed. Shocked looks crossed her friends' faces, soon replaced by a furious look in Sharpay's case.

"He did WHAT?" she screeched, causing Gabriella to clap her hands over her ears. "Sorry," the blonde apologized as she lowered her voice. "But… I can't believe it… has Troy ever acted this way before, Tay?"

Taylor looked confused. "No," she said slowly, "but I think I can understand. He was really surprised, and who knows, Gabs? Maybe he's_not_ ready. He doesn't have that baby growing inside him, remember, he can't feel it moving slightly, he doesn't know that magic…"

Sharpay looked at her skeptically. "You sound like it's happened to you before," she said softly.

Taylor paled and looked at her hands. "Actually, it did," she murmured. "I… it was a mistake. I was eighteen. The baby didn't survive, anyways."

Gabriella was touched by the sorrow on her friend's face and reached to give her a hug. "Don't worry, Tay," she comforted the older girl. "You'll find your Mr. Right and you'll have seven kids running around!"

Taylor laughed. "I'm not sure I want so many!" she giggled. The other two started to laugh as well, and for a while their troubles were forgotten.

* * *

Troy had spent himself and was sleeping uneasily when he heard the doorbell ring. Stirring slightly, he opened one eye to see Hailey asleep as well, dusk gathering on the horizon. He wearily got to his feet, swaying a little from sitting for so long. His legs had fallen asleep. He half-hobbled to the door, pulling it open unceremoniously. 

The sight that greeted him was puzzling. A tall, wiry youth of about thirteen stood outside his door, clear amber eyes dark with worry. He had a shock of dark hair, somehow eerily familiar to Troy. He was fidgeting, moving from one foot to the other. When Troy opened the door, his facial expression was carefully arranged to resemble nonchalance, but Troy could sense a sort of nervous energy coming from him.

"Hi," the boy started without preamble. "I'm looking for Gabriella Montez? Well, Gabriella Bolton now, I s'pose. Can you tell her I'm here?"

Troy leaned against the door frame. "She doesn't live here anymore," he said softly. "What do you want, kid?"

The boy immediately became upset at hearing Troy's first sentence. "Oh no!" he cried, shooting a pleading glance at Troy. "Where is she? I need to talk to her!"

"Who are you, kid?" Troy asked softly, even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

The youth swallowed. "I'm Alan," he said steadily. "Alan Gregory Montez."

* * *

**AN: Shocker? Or did you know that was coming? Probably the latter, eh… anyways! Hope you guys liked that! More Hailey for all her fans, I'm personally in love with the girl, she's my best (and first!) OC evurrr.**


	26. Brother My Brother

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: You guys simply astound me! The last two chapters have 39 reviews apiece! Can we make it to 500? ;) Kidding, kidding, I don't want to force anyone to review.**

**Disclaimer: I own Hailey, Catherine and Alan. That's about it. **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Brother My Brother

Sharpay held her hot pink cell phone away from her body as if it was diseased. "Can't Troy Bolton take a hint?" she hissed in a disgusted tone, slamming down repeatedly on the 'end call' button. "I mean, he's called _fifteen times!_ And I've made up an excuse during each of them! Why is he so dense?" A disgruntled growl came from her as she flung the phone onto the bed, soon following it to stretch out on the pale pink comforter.

Gabriella stared at Sharpay's phone with dull eyes, her eyelashes still coated delicately with tears. "Because he's a man," she replied in a quiet tone. Sharpay eyed her friend curiously out of her light brown eyes, tilting her head.

"That's not fair, Gabs, some men are pretty okay, like…" She trailed off, suddenly turning a fantastic shade of red. Gabriella let out a weak giggle, pressing her friend eagerly.

"Like who, Sharpay?"

"None of your business, Gabriella Anna!" Sharpay snapped, and Gabriella retreated in confusion, intimidated by the angry yet secretive glimmer in the blonde's eyes.

"What does Troy keep saying, anyways?" she asked, a hint of wistfulness in her tone. Sharpay glared at the phone, which had begun to ring again with a now-all-too-familiar number showing up in black on the screen.

"Just keeps saying that he's found someone called Alan, and he needs to talk to you. I tell you, Gabs…"

The blonde stopped in the middle of her tirade at the look in Gabriella's eyes. The brunette had sat up stock-still, her eyes fixed on Sharpay with an intense mixture of pain and longing and joy in her gaze. "Alan?" she whispered. "He found Alan?"

Sharpay gaped at her friend. "Who _is_ Alan?" she demanded, sitting up as well and tugging at the sleeve of Gabriella's silver shirt. Gabriella shivered involuntarily, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Alan… Alan's my brother, Sharpay."

Sharpay's eyes narrowed in bewilderment. "What are you _talking_about, Gabs? You're an only child… a-aren't you?"

Gabriella couldn't explain fully to Sharpay, because she was numbed by the sudden hurt that flashed through her eyes. She clutched the coverlet closer to her body as if trying to shield herself from her friend's raw pain. "I…" she tried desperately, but Sharpay merely picked up her phone, on which Troy was calling again.

"I'll tell him to bring Alan here, and I'll contact you to see him." Her voice was emotionless, but not angry or cold, like Gabriella had expected. "Is that okay?"

She nodded tentatively, and listened absently as Sharpay talked rapidly to Troy on the other end. All the while, she was trying to form coherent sentences in her head to tell Sharpay the self-induced guilt that had filled her for twelve, almost thirteen years.

Sharpay hung up and looked expectantly at her friend. Rushing through the story as fast as she could, Gabriella didn't embellish on many points, but confessed that she had told Troy about Alan earlier, when he had found a picture of them together.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, Sharpay, I should've told you way before Troy…"

Sharpay held up a hand. "Relax, Gabs. You love him, he's your husband, and he asked about it. You had every right to keep this hidden from me – I can tell it's not easy for you, even now." Her gaze softened further. "I love you like a sister, Gabs, and I always have. Always will. I'd never sacrifice this beautiful friendship just because of something like this, however big it may be. But you have to trust me, because I can't help you if you don't."

Gabriella frowned – Sharpay's words sounded eerily like Troy's a few weeks ago. She sighed quietly and folded her hands on her lap, nodding meekly. "I know, Shar. And I really am sorry."

Sharpay reached forward and engulfed her friend in a massive hug. "Friends forever," she whispered in her ear before she pulled away. "Now," her voice quickly assumed a businesslike tone, "Troy's going to be here in half an hour with Alan. You'll have three, four hours with him before Troy comes to pick him up at five."

"Why can't Alan stay with us?" Gabriella asked, feeling a little indignant that her long-lost brother would be staying with Troy. Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Use your brains, woman! Then Troy will know you're living here, won't he?"

"Not necessarily, we could…"

"Gabriella. Just let your brother dearest stay with Troy, for goodness' sake. Please."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine," she said grudgingly. "But only because I still feel guilty about not telling you earlier."

Sharpay smiled brightly and clapped. "Don't care why, just as long as you agree," she trilled happily.

* * *

Forty minutes later found Troy ringing the doorbell to Sharpay's apartment, having been given detailed instructions on how to reach it by Sharpay earlier. He clasped Alan's tanned hand in his own, ignoring the boy's protests. He felt closer to Gabriella, somehow, being close to her brother. He wished that he could see her, but knew better than to return before pick-up time for Alan and betray her trust all over again. So he reluctantly handed Alan over to Sharpay and turned quickly, walking back to the car. 

Gabriella sat on Sharpay's bed nervously, chewing her fingernails as she heard Sharpay and Alan conversing as the former led the boy into the apartment. She longed for the first glimpse of his face, yet dreaded it as well – what if he hated her for it?

There were no doubts about him when she finally laid eyes on him. His beautifully vibrant amber eyes gazed at her hungrily, drinking in every minute detail of her face. She got up faster than she thought possible and swept him into a hug, half-laughing and half-crying.

"I'm so sorry, so, so, so sorry," she repeated over and over again into his shirt, rocking him like her own son. Alan clung to her and wept as well, babbling incoherently.

She finally set him down, brushing a stray strand of hair from his eyes. "I missed you for so long," she whispered. "I could never forgive myself… I don't think I can even now."

Alan looked at her steadily. "Don't blame yourself, Rie," he replied. "Let me tell you the entire story."

Her heart shivered delightedly at his nickname for her. Clutching tightly to his hand, she sat down again and listened intently as he told her how he had found his way back to her.

It turned out that an orphanage matron had picked him up while she was in the park for a stroll. She had thought that he had been abandoned there and took him to the orphanage. As soon as she got there, an African-American couple, unable to have children, had fallen in love with him and had taken him home with them to Boston. They had recently moved to Albuquerque, and strangest of all – they were Zeke's aunt and uncle.

They had quickly befriended the Montezes and soon learned of their sad story. They had instantly realized that Alan(called Eric in their household) was their own adopted son. And as much as it had pained them, they had returned him to his family. He had then found out from their parents where she was, and had flown in with Mr. Montez, who had a business conference in New York as it was.

Gabriella held her brother closer, kissing his hair again and again. "Every night, I'd think of you, Alan… and I'd… oh, I can't even bear to think of it anymore," she murmured, cradling his head in her arms. "I'm so glad you're back with me… I'm so glad you're _back_…"

Alan looked up at his sister, his bright eyes inquisitive. "Rie," he asked hesitantly, "why aren't you living with Troy anymore? Mama and Dad told me you're married to him."

Before Gabriella could reply, the doorbell rang. Sharpay, who had been as caught up in Alan's story as Gabriella herself, cast a startled glance at the clock. It was two 'o' clock in the afternoon – far too early for Troy to have arrived to pick up Alan. She got up and pulled open the door, almost screaming in surprise as she saw Troy Bolton on the other side.

"Sharpay, where's Gabriella?" he demanded, tears trickling down his cheeks. Gabriella sprung up from the bed at the sound of Troy's voice, trembling uncontrollably. Alan grasped her hand encouragingly as they followed Sharpay and came into Troy's line of vision.

Troy turned to Gabriella, temporarily ignoring the youth at her side. "Gabby," he croaked, more tears running down his face, "Hailey is going to die."

* * *

**AN: Cliffhanger! Isn't it? Have I had many cliffhangers in this story? I don't remember, I remember, um, three I think… anyways! It's a shorter chapter, and it explains what happened to Alan. I was crying when I wrote Gabriella and Alan's reunion paragraph(I cry a lot, huh?) and I absolutely adore it. But tell me what you all think! Sorry for not updating for a while!**


	27. I'll Always Love You

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: 500. 500??? You guys are… oh my goodness, I checked after a few days and I saw ****515**** reviews staring me in the face. I almost fainted. I'm not kidding. I'm so sorry I haven't been able to give you guys a chapter in a while, but I've been a bundle of nerves for the past few days, owning to the fact that I took my SATs today. No, I'm not a senior. It's complicated.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing for meeeee :( **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: I'll Always Love You

Gabriella stared into Troy's eyes and felt herself recoil from the intense beauty of them. Troy must have misinterpreted the shock in her gaze for anger, because he hastily he backtracked: "I know, I'm not supposed to call you Gabby… I know I've been… God, Gabs, I can't even tell you how sorry I am. But I need you. Hailey needs you. She's been asking for you." For a moment, she saw jealously flash through his eyes.

She sighed. "Troy," she said gently, "I'll come. But only for Hailey." He winced slightly and backed away, nodding at his feet. She squeezed Alan's hand gently and smiled half-heartedly at Sharpay, releasing her brother's hand and brushed past Troy.

"Tell me the truth now. What's wrong with Hailey?" she spoke, her back still to him. She heard him exhale almost angrily.

"I'm not lying, Gabriella! Hailey is _dying_. And you know what she keeps saying? 'I want Gabriella'. She doesn't want me anymore, I'm not good enough for her, I'm the ass that let you walk away." Bitterness, surprisingly, wasn't the only emotion in his tense voice – she heard a far-off strain of longing as well. But she wasn't ready to forgive him yet.

Then his words struck her in the face like a slap. "W-what?" she stammered, turning to face him. "What do you mean, she's dying?_What do you mean?_" Her voice rose to a hysterical pitch.

Troy looked at her, tears still dripping ungracefully down his cheeks. He didn't need to answer. Gabriella saw the horrifying truth in his sorrowful blue eyes. A choked sob escaped her as she crumpled, her hands clutching her face to hide the tears. She couldn't cry _again_! She couldn't! And here he was, watching her cry _again_! In the midst of her grief, she wondered why Troy was the one who seemed to always make her cry.

He reacted instinctively, catching her before she fell and holding her close. Through her haze of tears and hiccups, she felt his heart beat against hers and felt oddly comforted. She pulled away a minute later, her eyes purposeful.

"I need to see her."

* * *

Hailey was in a pitiful state. Her body, which had recovered since her stress-related attack nearly a month and a half ago, had deteriorated alarmingly fast. Her limpid blue eyes stared at her two visitors pleadingly, as if to release her from this pain. For all her wisdom and kindness, she was still only fifteen. She was too young to die! 

Gabriella bit her lip and cried over the girl's hand, bathing it with her tears. She held Hailey's fragile fingers against her heart, wanting her to feel the heartbeat and take strength from it. She needed to survive. She had to survive! Gabriella tightened her grip on the hand, watching it turn even whiter.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she whispered. "Don't, Hailey. Please. Please."

The tired girl's eyes were fixed on Gabriella's brown ones. "I don't have the will to stay," she replied in her straightforward manner. "I can't, Gabby. It hurts too much."

"But you have so much to live for! Your brother, your sister, your parents… me, Hailey, me! What am I going to do without you?"

Hailey's weary smile pierced Gabriella's heart with far more accuracy than any dagger, however well aimed. "You'll live," she said quietly. "You'll have a beautiful baby. And you'll remember me, won't you?" Her blue eyes begged Gabriella to say yes. "You won't forget me? I'll always be here if you remember me."

Gabriella pressed her lips to Hailey's cold, clammy hand. "Always, Hailey," she whispered. "I'll always remember you."

Hailey's mouth trembled, and she suddenly looked much younger. Both of them seemed to have forgotten that Troy existed, and he respectfully backed out of the room, not without feeling another tremor of jealousy towards the brown-haired, brown-eyed young woman who seemed to hold his sister's heart now.

"Can I tell you something, Gabby?" Hailey murmured. "Please?"

Her only response was a nod.

"I don't want to die, Gabby."

Her heart overflowed with love and sympathy for the frail little girl, looking so out of place in the white hospital bed. "Oh Hailey…" she choked out, cradling the girl's hand. "Oh honey. I don't want you to die either."

And suddenly Hailey was crying. She had tears flowing down her face, leaving glittering tear-tracks on her pale freckled face and dripping slowly off her chin. She withdrew her hand from Gabriella's grasp and covered her face, trying to muffle the sobs that racked her body. Gabriella stood from her kneeling position and hugged the girl, pressing her head against her chest. All she could hear was "I don't want to die," being repeated over and over again.

She was helpless in the face of this storm of tears. She was used to angry tears, sad tears, happy tears, and even secretive tears. But she wasn't used to the tears of giving up. She wasn't used to being faced by someone who had lost all hope. She wasn't used to someone crying because that was all they could do. As Hailey's tears dampened her shirt, she mourned for Hailey – the girl who had always been optimistic, even when faced with death; the girl who had brought out the best in everyone. She had died already, leaving behind this feeble, broken creature, waiting for death.

Gabriella slowly untangled herself from Hailey's clutches and kissed her head solemnly. "Never forget," she murmured, "up there – I will always love you."

* * *

Troy almost yanked Gabriella out of the way in his hurry to get to his sister. He sat on the edge of her little hospital bed, suddenly mute. He had come to say goodbye, and it looked like she was already saying it. Even the vibrant light in her blue eyes was dying, slowly being replaced by the dull, glazed look of someone who knew their time was up. Troy fidgeted, wondering if he should take her hand or not. 

Hailey's body jerked, and he panicked immediately. His nerves relaxed a fraction when he saw that she was just lifting her head to look at him with a deep, intense gaze. He felt his heart shatter into millions of pieces at her look.

"I'm going to die," she whispered. "I'm going to die, Troy."

He could see tear marks on her face, and it pained him. She had cried in front of Gabriella – but she had never cried in front of him. Was it a girl thing, not to want to cry in front of a boy? Or was Gabriella just better, more worthy than him?

He clenched his hands into fists, seeing them go white. Hailey was still studying him, a spark still in her eyes.

"I'm scared, Troy. I'm scared that you'll forget me, because I'm not number one in your heart anymore."

He froze, disbelief etched on his face. Was that what she was worried about? She had _always_ been number one for him. Always. And here he was, thinking that_Gabriella_ had replaced _him_ in her heart.

But as he released these thoughts, he realized how untrue they were. Hailey was right. She wasn't number one anymore – Gabriella was.

"I'll never forget you, Hal. A person would have to die a million times to forget someone like you." His voice was oddly croaky, like he had swallowed a frog that was now speaking for him.

Her exhausted laugh made his blood turn to ice. "A million times passes too fast," she said sadly. "I hope I'm left with a heart, Troy. I want to remember you and Gabriella."

He didn't question why she had said heart instead of mind.

"Can I have a hug?" She stretched her thin arms towards him, her expression reminding him of when she was four and he had returned from the first day of high school. It had been horrible for him, and he had stomped into the house in a bad temper. Four-year-old Hailey had run towards him, and stretched out her arms for a hug. In an instant he swept her up, hugging her close to his body and forgetting about his day. She had always had that effect on him.

He gently embraced her now, careful not to squeeze her too tightly. "I love you, Hal," he whispered in her ear. "I'll always love you."

Pressed against his body, he felt her shake and start to cry again.

"Tell her," she sighed. "Tell her."

* * *

Troy's hands might have been welded into a shapeless blob of flesh, and he wouldn't have noticed. He walked out of the room with the tears he had been trying to hold back cascading down his cheeks. Gabriella saw him and read his eyes yet again. Without preamble she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she cried into his chest. 

He kissed her brown curls, littering them with salty tears. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry she's not going to be here to see the baby, I'm sorry she's gone… I'm sorry I never knew her."

Gabriella laughed quietly into his shirt. "You idiot. You're her brother, of course you knew her. I wish _I'd_ known her."

Troy looked down at her, feeling his heart clench. She was right. She was always right. "Gabriella," he said suddenly, his voice serious, "what do you think love is?"

She frowned in confusion, meeting his gaze. "What do _you_ think it is?" she replied, knowing that he needed to get something off his chest.

Troy thought out his words carefully. "I think love," he said, "is knowing when to cry with someone."

* * *

**AN: I hate this chapter. I really do. Hate it hate it hate it. Blehh. I'm sorry, I tried reworking it and it was came out worse, so I went back to the first version of it. I'm really sorry to everyone who wanted Hailey to live! Unfortunately, she **_**had**_** to die. :( Sorry again, sorry for everything.**


	28. What I Wanted to Say

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I was absolutely blown away by the response to the last chapter. I read that a few people cried – to me, the greatest compliment is that someone cried when reading a story of mine. It means that I was able to touch them, and it's crazy to think that I can touch people I don't even know. I absolutely love you all, and just for you, here's another chapter**

**Disclaimer: Now I'm left with Alan & Catherine… **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: What I Wanted to Say

"_I think love is knowing when to cry with someone."_

She clung to him, pressing her cheek against his chest as his arms encircled her. She was glad that he was there to hold onto; otherwise she feared that she would simply fade away. The world seemed so different with Hailey missing, yet so many things were the same – the sun was shining, birds were chirping and people were still bustling about. She felt like screaming at everyone to stop, freeze, stand still – didn't they know that a great tragedy had occurred? Didn't they know that the entire _world_ was supposed to mourn the passing of the bright, spirited girl known as Hailey?

He kissed her hair again and again, murmuring words of comfort in her ears. She lifted her head and met his gaze, sudden longing filling her. Tentatively but with purpose, she reached up and pressed her lips against his.

They stood in the crisply lit hospital hallway, kissing. She was surprised to feel her stomach tremble with the same feeling she'd always had when Troy kissed her. She pulled away, her eyes wide with bewilderment.

"This isn't right! I'm not supposed to feel happy, no one's supposed to feel happy!" she whispered. Troy looked at her with compassionate eyes.

"She's still here, Gabs," he muttered. "Right here." He placed a hand over his heart. As corny and overused as the line was, Gabriella couldn't help but feel that it was true. Hailey would live on forever in their hearts.

* * *

They found themselves back at home, Gabriella dialing Troy's parents' number with shaking fingers. He held fast onto her, his arms around her waist as she pressed the phone against her ear. The cheery ringing made her want to cry as she waited for someone to pick up. Finally, she heard Mrs. Bolton's voice on the other end. 

"Lily Bolton speaking. Who is this?"

Gabriella choked back a sob that rose in her throat and attempted to make her words sound normal. "Mrs. Bolton, hi. This is Gabriella."

She heard a laugh. "How many times have I told you to call me Lily, dear? You're like one of my daughters, I can't have you calling me Mrs. Bolton. What is it?" she asked pleasantly.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't. She shoved the phone forcefully at Troy, tears blurring her vision. "Just talk to her. Please."

Troy took the phone and retreated to the kitchen to carry out a hushed, serious conversation with his mother. Gabriella imagined that she could hear Lily Bolton's anguished cry even from their room.

Her heart ached for the pain Mrs. Bolton must be feeling. What would _she_ feel if the child in her stomach died? She looked at her stomach, pressing it gently. No, Mrs. Bolton's pain was far worse. Hailey had lived a half-life, but she had _lived;_ people had known her, she had touched others. If _her_ baby died, he or she would die without even living. There would be pain, but not nearly as much as if he or she survived and then died.

Troy had entered the room again, silently sitting down beside her. She turned and buried her face in the crook of his neck, allowing more tears to seep out from under her closed eyelids. Troy was right. Love was knowing when to cry with someone, and she knew that she wanted to cry with Troy for the rest of her life.

* * *

Sharpay and Alan were at the Bolton flat that evening, Sharpay ringing the doorbell repeatedly and Alan not even bothering with it and banging on the door. Eventually a sleepy, tousle-haired Troy answered, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Sharpay made a face. 

"Please tell me we didn't interrupt something," she groaned, pushing past Troy. He shrugged.

"Just my sleep. Gabby's still asleep."

Sharpay cocked her head. Gabby. Did that mean that they were together again? Had Gabriella forgiven him? She shook those thoughts away, facing Troy and demanding, "Where's Hailey? How is she?"

Troy's eyes darkened. Sharpay watched him cautiously, recognizing the signs of anger. Instead, Troy sighed.

"Look, Shar. She's…" He shook his head and turned, lumbering back to the bedroom. "You two can sleep in the other room. Hailey w-won't be coming back." She was surprised to hear a tremble in his voice.

Her brown eyes widened. "No…" she whispered. "No… please, Troy, anything but that!" Her voice rose to hysterical pitch. "Tell me she's still alive!" she said, clutching at his arm. "She's not dead, is she? Is she, Troy? She can't be, she can't be… you mean something else… don't you?"

Troy pulled away from her with a dull look in his eyes. "Can you tell the rest of the gang? I can't handle this right now." He moved away, resuming his position on the bed, curled up next to his wife.

Sharpay stood stock-still, looking blankly at the closed door of the guest room. She felt tears leak from the corners of her eyes and brusquely brushed them away before they could fully form. Sharpay Evans did _not_ allow herself to cry. Not if she could help it.

"Hey Alan," she managed to force out. "You want something to eat? Gabs usually keeps sandwiches and chips and stuff in the kitchen." The youngster, sensing that she needed to be alone, ambled towards the said room and began searching it. Sharpay entered the guest room, closing the door behind her before dropping onto the bed.

She lay there and cried on the soft duvet that still held Hailey's lingering scent.

* * *

Taylor was at Chad's when he received the phone call. She had come on the pretext of recruiting him for helping her with Gabriella's story, but they both knew that Chad couldn't edit to save his life. She just liked being around him. She studied Chad's face carefully as he talked frantically into the phone, his words reaching a speed where she was sure no one short of a hummingbird could understand him. Then he saw tears in his dark brown eyes before he hung up, slamming the phone onto the cradle. 

"Hey Tay?" His voice was unusually quiet. "You know Hailey, right?"

She nodded. "How's she doing? I heard she was getting better." The smile that had begun to cross her face faded at Chad's expression.

"She's dead."

Taylor gaped at him, not wanting to believe her ears. "What?" she heard herself say. "There must be some mistake, who told you? Those hospital nurses always exaggerate things…"

"Tay, it was Sharpay. Hailey's dead. She died this afternoon."

Taylor gripped the edge of Chad's polished dining table as she struggled to hold onto consciousness. "That's not…" she said faintly. Chad reached out and enveloped her in a hug as she babbled almost insanely on his shoulder and wished that she had known Hailey better.

* * *

Ryan was irritated when Chad called him and told him that both himself and Troy would not be reporting for practice that day or for the game the next day. "And dare I ask why?" he said icily into his cell phone, pacing up and down in the team locker room. Chad chewed one fingernail, wondering how much he should say. 

"Ryan? You know Troy's sisters?"

Ryan shrugged. "I met them once. I think the younger one has some sort of an illness?"

He heard Chad sigh on the other end. "Yeah, that's Hailey. She…" Ryan heard Chad take a deep breath as if bracing himself for a plunge. "She died yesterday afternoon."

Ryan jerked the phone away from his ear and stared at it fearfully. He remembered Hailey very vaguely – she had been an auburn-haired girl with intense blue eyes like most of the Bolton family, spirited and energetic despite her apparently wasting disease.

"Ryan?" Chad's voice issued faintly from his phone. Ryan hesitantly held the phone to his ear again.

"Listen. You guys take as much time off as needed. Tell me when the funeral is, okay? I wish I'd met her more often. She seemed like a great kid."

He could almost _see_ Chad nodding at the other end. "Okay. Thanks, Ryan."

Ryan heard the beeping dial tone as Chad hung up and stayed as he was for a few moments. He had never been very religious, but at the moment he was praying for Hailey's soul to reach the uppermost part of heaven or whatever great mystery there was after death.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so another slightly depressing chapter. I just wanted to show how the news went around. I didn't get everyone, I just got the other four mains. I'm ALSO going to put up a trailer for an idea I have for a Troyella(obviously) story based off a movie I've recently seen.**


	29. Love Will Find a Way

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Nothing really important for me to say, except I'm sorry for taking some time to update and that you all totally rule! But you knew that already, didn't you? ;)**

**Disclaimer: Do I own High School Musical? N-O **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Love Will Find a Way

Troy felt Gabriella stir next to him as he slowly pulled himself out of the realm of sleep and into the conscious world. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead and heard her murmur sleepily as he shifted slightly, hoping to get out of the bed without waking her. It had been four long days since Hailey's passing, and he was beginning to hope that Gabriella had forgotten all about the cruel, thoughtless things he had said to her.

He froze as her brown eyes opened, looking at him with amusement glimmering in her gaze. "I've been awake for a while. Fooled you, didn't I?" she laughed, sitting up and stretching her arms behind her head. "Where are you going?"

Troy rubbed the curve of his nose awkwardly. "Practice," he muttered. Gabriella shot him a quizzical look.

"Oh, okay. I thought you had said that you would only go next week?"

He shrugged. "Um, changed my mind?"

She smiled slightly. "Do you have a minute? I need to tell you something."

Troy's eyes widened at her words, and impulsively he blurted out, "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

She raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Troy, we're married. I can't break up with you," she pointed out, trying to suppress a laugh. He nodded sheepishly, lowering his eyes as his ears began to feel uncomfortably hot. "And I'm not divorcing you either, don't worry," she added. "But I want to know… why, Troy? Why did you say it?"

Instantly his heart plummeted. He knew what she was talking about, and her question was the very one he _didn't_ want to answer. But he took a deep breath and folded his hands, keeping his eyes on them. "I'll try my best to explain, Gabs. But I'm not sure if I can," he said honestly. He almost felt her nod as she shifted a little bit away from him, giving him his own space. He missed her warm body against his.

"The day you told me you were pregnant, I _was_ happy. I really was!" he protested as he looked up and saw a skeptical expression on her face. "But you looked so happy that I wasn't sure if I really _was_ happy, or that seeing you happy just caused me to instinctively be happy for you. And I was scared, Gabs. I still am. I mean, I've never really appreciated what my dad did for me until now. What if I can't be a good father? What if I can't provide for the baby like I should? What if I spoil it and it becomes a bratty little…" He trailed off as he saw the faintly amused look in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me, then?" she murmured as she rested a hand on his knee. "God, Troy, you think I'm not scared?" She bit her lip softly as she scooted closer again, laying her head tentatively on his shoulder. "I'm scared of all the normal things, like not being able to be a good mother and not being able to encourage my child in the right ways. But you know what else I'm scared of?" Her eyes were wide as she looked at him steadily. "I'm scared of the pain, Troy. Not just the childbirth pain - " here Troy made a face, and she lightly slapped his shoulder, "but the emotional pain that I know I'm going to have to go through. What will happen when he doesn't want me to hold his hand anymore? Or tuck him into bed? Or pick out his clothes for him? What will happen when he starts to fight for his independence, and I'm the one who gets left behind?" Tears began to form in her eyes as she spilled out her thoughts to him, and all Troy wanted to do was make sure that there would never be tears of pain in her eyes ever again.

"You'll never be left behind, Gabby," he whispered, drawing her close and kissing her hair. "I'll always be right here, next to you. I promise."

She pulled away, her eyes glittering fearfully. "Like you did earlier?" she whispered fiercely, clenching her hands into fists. Troy felt a dull blow strike his heart as he saw the pain in her gaze. "You _left me alone_, Troy. I didn't make this baby by myself! _You_ did it too, and then you just went and _left_ me, and nothing was right." She was ranting incoherently, but he could understand her by the tears that dripped down her face.

"Gabby, please," he pleaded, reaching forward and kissing her gently. "I know that was wrong of me. I promise, I will never do anything to hurt you again."

She recoiled again. "Maybe not on purpose, but you _will_ hurt me again, Troy," she replied, her dark eyes sad. "Because it's always the people one loves that hurt them."

Troy shook his head. "Never," he said softly. "I will never hurt you. I love you so much, Gabriella… I would have to search for a thousand years to find the right words to tell you how much I love you."

He felt her resolve weaken, and felt her sag against him. He held her close, and she cried into his shirt, letting go of all the fear that had been bottled up inside her. After what seemed like hours, she raised her head and met his concerned gaze with soft eyes.

"I love you, Troy Bolton," she murmured. And no words had ever sounded sweeter to him.

* * *

He was awoken again by an ill-tempered screech. He jolted upright, expecting Sharpay, who was staying with them for a while, to be yelling about how they didn't stock the _right_ kind of cucumbers in the nearby grocery store. He was, therefore, shocked to see that it was Gabriella who was screaming angrily at a meek, silent Sharpay. 

"Is it _so_ hard to get a carrot for me?" she exploded at the blonde. "I just want a fresh, red carrot! Can you not get that for me, Sharpay? Is it so difficult to go to the fridge and get me one?"

"Gabs, calm down… you know red carrots aren't available, it isn't the season for them," Sharpay responded, attempting to placate her friend. "Why don't I get you some peppers or something?"

Troy watched in amusement as Gabriella's cheeks turned pink. "I don't_ want_ peppers," she complained petulantly, her anger dissipating fast. "I want _carrots_. RED carrots!"

Sharpay sighed and threw up her hands as if to say 'I give up'. She spotted Troy and mouthed 'help!' to him, gesturing frantically at Gabriella. The brunette turned, a scowl written across her face.

"What?" she demanded of Troy. He chuckled softly, crossing the room to wrap her into a hug. He ignored her muffled protests as he pressed her close to his body, his fingers lightly tickling her neck. Gabriella wasn't very ticklish, but she absolutely hated it when someone tickled her.

"It's not natural for a pretty young woman to be yelling at her friend while her adorable husband is asleep," he murmured into her ear. He heard her let out a soft snort of disbelief and grinned. "I'm serious," he added in what he hoped was a solemn tone.

He felt Gabriella stiffen against him before she unexpectedly burst into laughter. "A-a-adorable husband i-i-i-indeed!" she giggled, her entire body shaking with mirth. Troy arranged his face to depict injured innocence as she drew away from him, her brown curls falling into her eyes.

"What? You don't think it's true?" he whined, crossing his arms. She smirked playfully at him,

"You sound like a three-year-old," she informed him. He lazily winked back at her.

"Well, you sounded like one a couple of minutes ago, so I guess we're even." She laughed at his smug expression and reached upwards to kiss him lightly.

"What happened to going for practice?" she teased, poking his nose. He made a face and sneezed, causing her to leap away and giggle again.

"I decided I'd skip," he replied casually, shrugging his shoulders. Sharpay, who had been unnoticed for the past few minutes, decided to reassert her presence with an eye-roll and a loud throat clearing.

"Still here, lovebirds," she announced, staring pointedly at the two. Troy and Gabriella met her gaze for a heartbeat before dissolving into helpless peals of laughter. Sharpay irritably folded her arms and tapped her foot against the carpeted floor.

"Well, I'm glad _someone _finds it funny," she muttered before marching out of the room, leaving behind the two laughter-stricken lovers.

* * *

**AN: Meh. I liked the first half, but the second half was pure randomness that came out of nowhere. Maybe it's just depicting how close Troy and Gabriella are now. Hope you guys like:)**


	30. Mango Mania

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: I came across an arranged marriage Troyella that's wayy older than mine, and I blushed with embarrassment. I just hope the author knows I had no intention of copying her! The story is **_**Arranged Marriage**_** by**_**xyou'rethemusicinmex**_**, if any of you want to check it out.**

**Disclaimer: Sorry, I still don't own anything. Except a goose egg. Get it? Goose egg shaped like a zero? ………… okay, that really wasn't funny, was it? **

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Mango Mania

Troy Bolton thought he couldn't be any more shocked. After all, he was in the midst of dealing with an emotional, heavily pregnant wife and a brother-in-law who seemed to find everything wrong with him and nothing wrong with his sister. Oh, and of course not to forget that his entire family (extended included) was over to celebrate Gabriella's twenty-fifth birthday. **(it's mid-August, a year after they got married, so she turned twenty-four the year they were married and she's turning twenty-five now) **But when he opened the pantry door to hunt for mangoes, Gabriella's recent craving, he was met with a sight that shocked him above all.

His friend Zeke was wrapped around Sharpay Evans, and the two were fiercely kissing. As the sound of the door opening, both sprang away, but not in time for Troy to pretend that nothing had happened. The young man stared at his friend in disbelief before transferring his gaze to Sharpay, who was blushing intensely. Zeke shuffled his feet and coughed a few times, but nothing seemed to come out.

"I…" Troy grinned slightly at the sheepish looks on their faces. "All I can say is, well, I'm happy for you, mate." He swiftly embraced Zeke, who still looked shell-shocked at being discovered. "Although, honestly, you should've told me… I could have reserved a room for you two," he continued, smirking at Sharpay's horrified look.

"Troy_ Bolton! _That's DISGUSTING!" she exploded. Troy looked at her innocently.

"Maybe it is, Shar, but what I just walked in on was pretty disgusting too…" he raised an eyebrow. Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Like you and Gabriella don't do it all the time," she shot back, crossing her arms and glaring at him. The smug smile quickly slid off Troy's face as he heard a sudden cry rise above the noise of the chatting guests.

"Damn," he muttered, pushing past Zeke and Sharpay to frantically search the shelves of the pantry. "Do either of you know if there are any mangoes here?" he demanded. A moment later, after they had both shrugged, he groaned. "Oh, of course, you wouldn't have been paying attention to the surroundings," he muttered, exiting the small space and pacing in the kitchen. "Gabriella's going to kill me!"

Sharpay giggled. "Just tell her it isn't the season for mangoes," she advised, her arms around Zeke once more. Troy shot her a confused look.

"But it _is_ the season for mangoes…" he replied, cocking his head. Sharpay rolled her eyes again and let out a dramatic huff.

"You're so _dense_ sometimes, Troy!" She flounced out of the pantry, and Zeke shot an encouraging look at Troy before following her. Troy merely moaned and covered his face with his hands. Maybe he'd be lucky and Gabriella wouldn't notice his disappearance for a while.

Twenty minutes later, he heard someone yank open the door and turned, coming face to face with a wild-eyed Zeke. The dark-skinned man breathed out quickly in relief. "Thank goodness I've found you! What do you think you're _doing_, skulking in a pantry when your wife's going to give birth??" he yelled. Troy stared blankly at his friend and attempted a feeble laugh.

"Ha ha, you're a riot, Zeke," he grinned. Zeke scowled and lightly hit the side of his friend's head.

"I'm not joking! This is _serious_, Troy! Get your butt out of here and follow me!" Zeke turned and moved towards the door, with a dazed-looking Troy following him.

"But the baby's not supposed to come for another month!" he spluttered. Zeke rolled his eyes, an action so like Sharpay that Troy barely held back his laugh.

"Dude, try telling that to it. It seems to be a party crasher," he snapped. "Just _come!_" He yanked on Troy's arm, and Troy prayed that Zeke would not dislocate his shoulder. The last thing he needed was an injury.

"Chill, listen, are they gone already?"

"Yes! Do you know how Gabs was freaking when no one could find you? You're an irresponsible husband!"

Troy looked at him oddly. "Isn't it supposed to be Gabby who has the mood swings and the emotional upheavals?" he ventured to ask. Zeke growled as they raced down the building's staircase, both too pumped and anxious to wait for an elevator. Troy was rifling through his pockets in an attempt to find his car keys when his phone rang.

"Why does this thing always go off at the worst possible time?!" he muttered as he pulled it out, quickly accepting the call once he saw that it was Taylor who was calling.

"What is it? Is Gabby okay?" Troy almost screamed into the phone. Taylor's voice was overridden by a wave of static, but as soon as Troy moved a few paces to the left, it cleared.

"- do you mean, is Gabs okay? Why wouldn't she be?" Taylor sounded panicked. Troy mentally kicked himself – of course, Taylor hadn't come to the party, she was at a meeting for Diamond Publications.

"Ahhh, nothing. Never mind. What is it, why did you call?"

"I just wanted to talk to Gabs, the others here accidentally came across her manuscript and they _love_ it! Some major bookstore owners are here, and they're all willing to put her book on their shelves when we release it. She hasn't been picking up her phone."

Troy paced up and down, stopping as soon as another wave of static intruded on their conversation. "Tay, Gabby's giving birth! Can we talk later?" he begged. He heard a fragment of Taylor's shocked gasp before the connection was severed. Cursing quietly, Troy shoved his phone into his pocket, his fingers touching something cool and metallic. He triumphantly held the keys aloft and raced back to Zeke, unlocking the car and hurriedly slipping inside.

Careful not to exceed the speed limit – he didn't want the police delaying him – he directed the car through lanes of traffic, hoping with all of his heart that Gabriella was all right. He heard the wail of sirens behind him, and ignored it until a police car pulled up beside him.

"Sir, we can see that neither of you are wearing seatbelts. I'm afraid we're going to have to fine you and have you fill in a few papers."**(just making up stuff over here!)**

Troy groaned. "My wife might be giving birth right now, and you're making me stop because I'm not wearing a seatbelt!" he raged. The police officer, a man of about forty, looked quite startled.

"I-I'm sorry… you… you just go on ahead, but please strap yourself in." Troy grumbled and quickly secured the seatbelt, glaring at the officer. When he was given a nod, he promptly revved the car engine again and sped down the streets once more.

Troy left Zeke to park the car where he could and proceeded into the hospital. He pulled out his cell phone again and hit Chad's number, which was number five on speed dial. "Chad?" he panted as he veered to the right to avoid a nurse in a starched white dress. "Which room is Gabriella in?"

"TROY! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN??"

Troy winced and held the phone at an arm's length for a minute. When no further screams issued from it, he placed it back by his ear. "It's complicated. Just tell me, please?" he pleaded.

"Room five-oh-three. Hurry!"

He heard the dial tone on the other end as Chad hung up, and dread seized his body. What did his friend mean by 'hurry'? Were there complications in the delivery or something? His breathing shallow, Troy ran down the hallway, his eyes noting the numbers on the doors of the rooms.

Chad, Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi were sitting on a bench outside rooms five-oh-one to five-oh-five. Sharpay screamed when she saw him, Chad looked tense, Kelsi flung herself at him and Ryan greeted him hurriedly. Troy gave them all a quick smile and winced when he heard a screech of pain rip through the air. All four of his friends gestured to Gabriella's room, and he promptly entered it, flinching as she cried out again.

Gabriella was wheezing, her hair sticking to her face because of the sweat pouring off her body. Her wide, dark eyes were filled with pain. Troy wasted no time in crossing the room to be at her side. He clasped one of her hands, ignoring the doctor and two nurses who shot him distrustful looks.

"Gabby, Gabs, baby, I'm here," he murmured to her. The pain in her gaze cleared briefly as she looked at him.

"Troy," she whispered, squeezing his hand until her knuckles turned white. He nodded gently, placing a kiss on her sweat-beaded forehead.

"C'mon, Gabby. I'm right here with you. Let's do this together, okay?"

Her lucid eyes met his. "Okay," she sighed.

* * *

Zeke and Taylor had joined the anxious four who were waiting outside the delivery room, and the six friends together comforted each other. All of them, however, tensed as a wail filled the air – but soon relaxed, realizing that it wasn't Gabriella. They heard incoherent murmuring from inside the room, and after what seemed like a lifetime, Troy called them in. 

"Hey guys," he greeted them, standing at the doorframe. "Ready to meet Bolton Junior?"

The guys let the girls go first. Sharpay, Kelsi and Taylor rushed inside, cooing over a tired but beaming Gabriella and the little bundle wrapped up in a soft blue blanket. Troy kept his friends company as they waited for the girls to come back out.

"Boy or girl?" Chad asked curiously. Troy grinned at his best friend.

"Boy," he confirmed. The other three looked at each other, trying to disguise their happiness as nonchalance but failing miserably. Troy laughed and hugged them all.

"I'm so glad you guys were here too," he said sincerely. "I love you all."

Chad made a face. "Whoa, dude, don't go all girlish on us," he joked. Troy shot him a playful glare as the other two cracked up.

"Hey, what happened to Alan?" Troy asked as Sharpay came out of the room, closely followed by Taylor and then Kelsi. The last replied,

"Your parents, Gabs' parents and him are on their way over. They left the party while you were hiding in the pantry." Amusement rippled through the crowd, and Troy looked sheepish.

"Guys, why don't you go in now?" Taylor added, smiling at the four men. Troy overtook his friends and was already sitting at the edge of Gabriella's bed by the time Chad, Ryan and Zeke entered the room.

"Congrats, you two." Ryan was the first to speak, coming over to pat Gabriella's hand, refraining from hugging her only because of the bundle in her arms. Chad grinned at her and Zeke added his congratulations as well. Chad and Zeke high-fived each other and Ryan looked at them despairingly, though not without a flicker of amusement in his eyes. Troy laughed and Gabriella joined him, leaning against him and resting her head against his firm shoulder.

"What are you calling him?" Kelsi asked as the three girls entered again, crowding around Gabriella's bed. Gabriella and Troy exchanged a long look, before the former spoke up.

"William Bryan Bolton," said Gabriella softly.

* * *

**AN: I loved writing this chapter! I hope you guys love reading it too! Unfortunately, there aren't more than two chapters after this – one more proper chapter, and the epilogue. I'm going to be so sad to see this story end! -cries-**


	31. Still Here

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Here it is! Officially the last chapter of this story! (I'm not counting the epilogue as a 'official chapter'… I never do, ha ha)**

**Disclaimer: I only own Alan Montez and Catherine Parks! **

* * *

CHAPTER THIRTY: Still Here

Gabriella held the currently limp bundle to her chest, her insides quivering with happiness. Although exhaustion penetrated every one of her veins, the pure euphoria to hold her and Troy's child to her breast made the pain seem trivial. She felt as if she were positively glowing with happiness.

Troy held her hand protectively, his blue eyes soft and filled with a new, mature light. She studied them in awe, wondering how on earth he had thought fatherhood wouldn't suit him. He had already insisted on Gabriella holding Will, assuring her that he would take care of him later.

He's going to make a great father, she thought proudly, raising their clasped hands and kissing his gently. A small snort came from one of their friends, and she immediately sought the offender, her gaze landing on Chad, who was looking skeptical and amused at the same time.

"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone," she informed him smugly, squeezing Troy's hand. He glanced at her, his eyes full of love.

Chad frowned. "Hey, that's not true! I'm a total ladies' man, I have girls falling all over me!" he boasted. Taylor, who was standing next to him, slapped his head before he even finished speaking.

When Chad glared at her, she merely smiled sweetly. "Sorry. Old habits from high school," she replied innocently. The others stifled laughs behind their hands.

"My_ daughter_ is in there! Let me in!" The impressive booming voice of Dominic Montez sounded from the hallway. A moment later he entered the already-crowded room, flanked by his wife and his son. The Boltons followed the Montezes, but saw the number of people in the room and prudently retreated to wait outside.

Mrs. Montez saw the blue bundle in her daughter's arms and burst into noisy sobs. She fought her way through the others and flung herself at Gabriella, crushing a sleeping Will between their bodies.

"My baby girl has grown up!" she wailed. Gabriella squirmed uncomfortably, choking out, "Mom…"

Mrs. Montez drew back as Will began to scream. Gabriella rolled her eyes at her mother, hiding a small grin as she gently comforted her newborn. Will, however, refused to comply and continued to screech for another half-hour before growing tired of the sound of his voice and falling asleep once more.

Zeke unplugged his ears. "Man, Troy," he spoke to his team captain, "I pity you. You're going to have to _live_ with it." His teasing smile took the sting out of his words, and Troy playfully glared at him.

Gabriella cradled her son, kissing his forehead as she ignored the chorus of 'awww's that came from the girls. Alan tentatively touched his nephew's face and scurried backwards, as if afraid he would break. Gabriella laughed at him, saying, "Relax, Alan, he's pretty fast asleep. You don't need to worry about waking him." Alan still looked uncomfortable and soon joined the Boltons outside.

Troy rubbed his thumb over her right palm, comforting her with his steady, loving gaze. "Umm, Mr. and Mrs. Montez? Could you call my parents in too, please? We'd like to say something to them."

Mrs. Montez looked baffled, but Mr. Montez quietly complied, returning with Mr. and Mrs. Bolton as well as a tall, raven-haired woman with the striking blue eyes of the Bolton family.

Gabriella felt Troy stiffen with amazement beside her. "Cath? You're here?" Disbelief was clear in his voice. "But… what about Jenna?"

The oldest Bolton sibling smiled quietly at her brother. "Relax, Troy. Jen's fine, I never breastfed her anyways. She's a big girl now!" Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness. "She's already seven months old, after all."

Gabriella smiled at the black-haired woman, who seemed to know exactly what she felt like right now. "Well, Troy and I have something to say to you all." She directed her gaze on their parents. "Mostly to you."

Mrs. Bolton fidgeted slightly, and Mr. Montez looked away. Troy grinned at her and turned to face their parents as well. "We just wanted to say… thank you," he said sincerely. "Without you guys, we would have never met, and we'd never have been this happy. Thanks for meddling with our lives." His eyes flashed mischievously.

"Watch your tongue, mister! You're still our son!" Mr. Bolton protested, but even he smiled gratefully at the two new parents.

"And also…" Gabriella hesitated. What if they all thought Troy and she were mad? It wasn't _natural_ to do this… was it?"

"We'd like to ask you if you're okay with Hailey being Will's godmother."

Confusion rose in everyone's eyes, and it was Taylor who spoke first. "But she's dead."

Troy winced slightly, and Gabriella leaned over to kiss his cheek. "We know," she said softly. "But if it weren't for her, Troy and I would have never gotten back together. And she's still here with us, Tay." A small smile crossed her face. "She's always here."

* * *

The couple returned home two days later, their hearts and eyes full of love for each other. Gabriella lay Will down in his crib and sat down beside Troy, watching him silently. He felt her gaze on him and turned, meeting her eyes steadily. But Gabriella could still see the raw pain that lay just beneath the surface. 

"I was jealous of you, Gabriella." His words were quiet, but they were charged with an emotion she couldn't decipher – or wasn't willing to. "I thought Hailey loved you more than me. All this time, I've been so jealous of you, because she cried in front of you first."

She stayed silent, sensing that he had more to say.

"I was jealous of you for _ages_. Even before…" His voice trembled, and she guessed that he wasn't ready to say those words yet. "Because you were so dedicated. Because you found it so easy to be happy, or sad, or frustrated. You never seemed to have any feelings in between. You didn't have any problems sorting out the wrong and the right, and you were so quick to react to things that you knew were wrong." His honest words, coupled with his intense blue eyes, made her quail.

"Oh Troy," she sighed softly, stroking his hand gently. "It's never been easy for me. I stay dedicated to things I know because I'm afraid of change. I don't want anything to change, I want everything to stay the way it is. I've always been like that. And you – you're so impulsive, so in control and yet so helpless. You scared me for so long, so I threw myself into writing for the first few months of our marriage."

His eyes burned into her. "Then why did you say yes?" he whispered. "If you're so afraid of change, why did you say yes when an almost complete stranger asked you to marry him?"

She leaned closed, until her nose was touching his. "I suppose you want a clichéd excuse, like I knew you were perfect to me the moment I saw you?" she murmured teasingly, but became somber when she saw the seriousness in his gaze. "Really? Because I knew, above everything, that I wanted to be part of a family. I guess I just panicked, thinking that no one else would ever ask me anyways, and I'd never have a chance to be a good wife and a loving mother." She felt sadness shadow her eyes. "I wanted to go to sleep beside someone and wake up beside them again, every day of my life." She kissed his nose gently.

"And you know what? I'm not sorry I made this decision. Because as much as I might have thought it was a mistake early on, I've realized that you _are_ meant for me, and I'm meant for you. However corny that sounds, it's true. This is the real thing."

His lips met hers. For a while, she couldn't think of anything else but his lips against hers and his arms around her body. And she knew that this was how she wanted to be for the rest of her life.

* * *

**AN: Oh my goodness! I planned it out so much differently, but it just **_**came**_** out like this… argh, I hope it's not too weird. I'm sorry it's short. I'll make it up to you all with an extra-long epilogue!**


	32. Here We Go Again

_It's the Real Thing_

**AN: Oh my… I think I'm going to cry -sniff sniff- Thank you guys sooo much for sticking with me and this story! Prepare for fluffiness! By the way, when the heading is ' years later', it means that many years after Will's birth :) It doesn't mean blank years after the earlier scene!**

**Disclaimer: I… sniff… DON'T OWN ANYTHING DARNIT! -cries- **

* * *

EPILOGUE: Here We Go Again

Three Years Later

"Hailey! Come back here!"

"Hailey Mara _Bolton!_ Come back here right now, missy!"

The one-year-old giggled merrily to herself as she dragged her body across the polished wooden floor, sliding along on her little bottom. Gabriella and Troy chased after her but despite being able to run while Hailey merely pulled herself, they were unable to catch her.

"Hailey, Mommy's going to be _very upset!_"

The toddler grinned toothily at a fuming Gabriella. Of course, she didn't understand her mother's frustrated words and couldn't comprehend anything other than love in her parents' faces. Troy softened immediately at the look she gave them and swooped down, picking her up in his arms and cradling her tenderly.

"Hush, baby. Is Mommy being bad again?" He shot a mock stern look at Gabriella, who opened her mouth and closed it again, resembling a goldfish.

"You're taking her side?" she wailed, pointing an accusing finger at the baby with golden fuzz on her head. "Troy William _Bolton!_ I'm your _wife!_"

"And Hal here's my baby girl, aren't you sweetheart?" He tickled her gently under the chin, kissing her forehead lovingly. Gabriella threw up her hands in defeat and made as if to stalk away angrily, stopped only by the sound of splintering glass.

"WILL!" she screamed, dashing into the living room, where the three-year-old was sitting in the middle of a disaster. He had somehow managed to pull Gabriella's prized crystal dish from the middle of the living room table and had successfully gotten rid of it. Troy watched his wife as her eyes bugged.

"I'VE HAD IT! I'M THROWING THAT CHILD OUT OF THE WINDOW!" she stormed. Alarmed, Troy set down Hailey in the nearest chair and wrapped Gabriella in his arms.

"Sssh, babe, he's just a kid," he soothed her. Gabriella growled at him and attempted to break out of his hold.

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE! THAT WAS AN _HEIRLOOM!_" she shrieked. Troy sighed, then suddenly spun her around and kissed her.

Her flailing arms grew still, and she slowly looped them around his neck. Their two children watched in innocent childishness as their parents partook in a full-fledged make-out session.

Gabriella finally broke away, panting. "Troy," she whispered, "not in front of the kids."

Troy kissed her hair gently. "Okay, mom," he murmured into her curls. She playfully pushed him away, picking up Will and checking him for signs of injury.

"He's okay, thank goodness," she sighed, cuddling him and pressing kisses to his small face. "Don't do that again, do you hear me?" she scolded softly. Will nodded solemnly, his large blue eyes earnest. Gabriella kissed him again and ruffled his dark hair fondly.

"Off you go, then," she muttered, setting him down on his feet and watching him toddle away slowly.

* * *

Six Years Later

Troy walked into his home, expecting to be greeted by his wife and two children. Instead, he was greeted by a flying carrot.

"I DON' WANT CARROTS!" screamed four-year-old Hailey.

"I LIKE CARROTS MOMMA! GIVE IT TO ME," pleaded six-year-old Will.

"I'd like to kill you two and stuff your bodies down the toilet," muttered a most stressed-out Gabriella. She turned and saw her husband with a carrot still attached to his forehead and couldn't suppress her giggle.

"Was it food fight day at the office?" she joked, walking over and pulling the carrot off him. Troy shrugged and kissed her.

"Nah, seems like it's food fight day at home," he answered cheekily. "How're my angels?"

Gabriella sighed. "Anything _but_ angelic," she replied tiredly. "They won't shut up."

Troy stroked her cheek comfortingly. "Aww, when they finally grow up you'll be wishing that they had stayed this young forever."

"Hard to believe," she snorted. "How was work?"

Troy had retired from playing professional basketball a year ago, and was now a physical consultant for his old team, the Wildcats. He also helped out the new coach with strategies for upcoming matches. Zeke and Chad still played, and Ryan was still their manager, happily married to Kelsi. Taylor and Chad were still in an off-and-on relationship, and were currently living separately, after Chad tried to propose to Taylor in a supermarket and was sent to the hospital because a shopping cart nearly ran him down. Zeke and Sharpay were engaged and their wedding had been fixed for late December – Sharpay had always wanted a Christmas wedding.

And Troy and Gabriella were still more-or-less happily married, despite many problems with their offspring. Will was a cheery child and had already developed his parents' sweet and easygoing natures. Hailey, however, was cranky and often flung food around.

Troy sat down on the kitchen counter. "It was okay," he answered. "Not bad, but not crazily good. How's the writing coming along?"

Gabriella smiled happily. "I showed the latest manuscript to Taylor, and she said they'd think about it, but she wants me to tweak some parts that don't really flow too well," she admitted. "It hurt, but now I realize she's right. She's always been right, even for the past two books – but not for the first one."

Gabriella's first book, _Our Love is Forbidden_, was an instant hit, despite the sad ending. She still received mail from people telling her that her story had brought tears to their eyes. Gabriella found it hard to believe that she had touched so many people across the world, but three books later with a fourth on the way, she was slowly getting used to the world of published authors – even the hate mail didn't seem so bad now.

Troy looked over at Hailey, who had a dark scowl written across her face. He crossed the kitchen into the dining room and stood next to her, patting her head gently.

"I'm going to tell you a story, okay Hal? It's about the person you're named after, your auntie Hailey…"

* * *

Ten Years Later

"Mom! We're going to be late!" Eight-year-old Hailey bounced impatiently in her brand-new black shoes. "I don't want to be late for the first day of third grade!"

Gabriella laughed and took her daughter's hand. "Relax, Hal," she reassured the girl, "we won't be late. We're just waiting for daddy and Will." She stroked her daughter's honey-blonde curls and looked into her lively brown eyes. Hailey didn't look anything like the former Hailey Bolton, but she had the girl's spirit and never-say-die attitude.

The aforementioned two soon emerged, Will's hair shining wetly since Gabriella had attempted to tame it with a water-drenched comb. However, it still stuck out at maniac angles, and Gabriella reflected that soon, she'd just have to give up.

"Daddy was taking a long time in the bathroom," Will whined. Gabriella rolled her eyes at her husband and pouted playfully.

"What a bad daddy! Isn't he a bad daddy, Will?" Will nodded in agreement. "Isn't he a bad daddy, Hailey?"

The little girl steadfastly stood by her father and shook her head. "Daddy's nice," she piped up brightly. "He's the best daddy_ever_."

Troy winked at Gabriella. "Sorry, Gabs. Guess I win. The daughter's word is law!"

She giggled. "You wish, Troy Bolton. Now come on, otherwise the kids will be late."

The merry family of four started down the street, heading towards Will and Hailey's school, which wasn't more than a ten-minute walk away. Hailey kept her hand in her mother's at all times, and Gabriella was immensely comforted by the warmth of her daughter's hand in hers.

Troy ruffled Will's hair affectionately. Will didn't _do_ holding hands anymore. He was a cool fifth grader now, and he couldn't possibly be seen walking into school holding hands with his father. The horror!

Troy felt a small pang as he saw Gabriella and Hailey's hands tightly clasped together, and looked at Will's hand swinging at his side. So this was what Gabriella had meant. This was when the kid wanted his own space, his own freedom, and he just left you behind.

Will looked up at his father, wrinkling his nose. "Daddy. You should wear what Joe's daddy wears. It smells nice."

Troy chuckled, trying not to feel hurt by his son's comment. "Well, you know what son?" he said softly. "Joe's daddy might smell nice, but I'll bet he doesn't have a son nearly as good as you."

* * *

Fifteen Years Later

Gabriella curled up in her window-seat as she stared out across the New York skyline, a pencil hanging from her mouth. A soft touch on her shoulder and a teasing chuckle brought her out of her reverie, and she smiled up at her husband.

"Hey Troy," she murmured, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "What's going on? Why are you back so early?"

Troy settled down next to her, running a hand through his slightly graying hair. "Well," he said awkwardly, "the coach is telling me I should quit my physical consultant job."

Gabriella frowned, eyes ablaze with mingled curiosity and outrage. "But why? You're a brilliant consultant, Troy! I don't think you've done anything to be treated this way!" she huffed, wrapping an arm around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder. She failed to see the huge smile that was slowly creeping across Troy's face.

"Yeah, I don't know what I've done to be given this chance," he murmured softly, brushing his lips against her hair. At forty-two, he still loved his wife as fiercely as he had sixteen years ago, and thanked the heavens every day that she had been brought into his life.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes stretched wide. "Wait, what? Am I missing something?" she asked, her surprise making her look so adorable that Troy just wanted to kiss her. He grinned, squeezing her gently.

"I've been offered the position of coach, and I accepted," he announced. Gabriella's cheeks turned red with excitement and happiness.

"Oh Troy!" She hugged him tightly, then suddenly pulled away and slapped his shoulder. He looked at her with round, sad eyes.

"What did I do to deserve that, Gabby?" he moaned in a pained voice. She giggled softly, still managing to keep her voice firm.

"That's for making me rage against your work people for no reason!" she told him, before collapsing into laughter and leaning against him, giggling uncontrollably. Troy held her close, nuzzling his nose into her hair and ignoring the white strands that seemed to multiply every day.

"I love you," he whispered. Her eyes, when she looked at him, were so full of love that his breath caught in his throat.

"I love you too," she murmured back. "And I always will, Troy." She kissed his lips gently and drew away, rubbing her forehead ruefully.

"Don't forget, Will and Hailey are going to be back soon."

Troy laughed. "Oh, yes." He glanced at the clock, which read '4:07'. "Will had choir, I presume, and Hailey had drama?"

Gabriella smiled. "Mhmm. Isn't it crazy that neither of them inherited your athletic genes or my smart genes? They're growing up so fast," she added sadly, resting her head against Troy's chest. "Soon they'll be all grown up and married, and we'll have nothing left."

Troy tugged on one of her curls softly, letting a smile cross his face. "That's where you're wrong, Gabs," he answered. "We'll always have each other."

She smiled gratefully up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck for another hug. Troy leaned down, his lips almost on hers.

Right on cue, Will Bryan Bolton barged into the house. He saw his mother and father and made a disgusted face, waving his hand in front of his face like something smelled bad. "Eww, I don't need to see this!" he declared.

Gabriella and Troy sprung apart, the former blushing, the latter laughing.

"How was your day, Will B?" Troy asked his son fondly. Will rolled his eyes at the nickname but laughed, throwing himself onto the living room couch.

"It was good. We learned about stuff in history," he answered nonchalantly, his blue eyes gleaming. "Did you know that in the olden days, in like village Asia and stuff, there were _arranged marriages_? Even in Victorian England! I mean, why would you marry someone you don't even know?"

Troy and Gabriella shared a private, startled look. Hadn't they ever told their children about their own meeting?

"Well, Will," Gabriella finally said, "it's funny you should ask…"

* * *

**AN: Oh my goodness! It's over! I'm going to curl up in a hole and cry, I really am D: I love this story so much, and I love you guys so much for taking the time to read this story and give me your opinion. As a last farewell, could you give me some favourites? Your favourite chapter, scene, character, dialogue, or whatever! I'd really appreciate it! Plus, anyone waiting for an update of _The Brownie Girl_ - sorry, but it's a oneshot, so no updates on it... thanks! Dream**


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